Legend of Spyro and Cynder: A New Beginning
by ClanofHeroesandHeroines
Summary: What happens if Cynder, Spyro and Spyro's twin sister were born together and had to fight an enemy that Malefor had to get so he can be free from Convexity's dark prisons. Review if you want more. "You will feel and understand pain when Ember torments you in your sleep, daughter," Ignitus said as he looked at Cynder.
1. Chapter 1: The Twists of Fate

A/N: I want to thank TLOSpyrogirl for allowing me to use her story but due to her commenting on my Private Messages (PM) she told me that I can use some and anything that is already in the game like what Sparx said, "Seeing and catching are two different things, ah big boy." I also want to thank her for allowing me to use Crystal in the story as well. She gets the credit for Selective Scenes and her OC (Crystal). I also want to thank everyone that read the other stories about Spyro and Cynder, the Empire Rising series, and I want to be clear, that series is not connected to Legend of Spyro and Cynder series.

 **Chapter 1: The Twists of Fate**

What do you have for life when everything will just go to Hell? Nothing but destruction from then on. Something that makes people think 'What happened to me?,' but yet get no answer for they are in the snow looking down and became king nothing. It becomes a blur and many don't know what to do. If they do fight, how can they win at something that they lost already to. So really, it is impossible - which is funny that the word says 'I'm possible' but it is ironic that it doesn't meant anything to with good, only bad.

The day that led to betrayal, no sign of any anguish that would have made the temple become forgotten and little hamlet that made its little cozy home in the forest nearby, with the swamp just to the north. Nobody would have expected what would happen – in fact, nobody did expect it, expect that their own lives would be torn apart from even being close to being complete at the end, when night fell. A day that all Dragons would remember.

It was all just too perfect, too perfect to be true if you asked anyone. The blue sky that was calm like Lake Placid, not even a sight of a cloud to disturb its natural beauty; it was just humid enough to be comfortable - well for any reptile - without being unbearable like summer was never even real. And the residents of the small village that surrounded the Dragon Temple among with the tall trees of the forest seemed to go about their day, without not a single worry in on their minds. They thought they were safe. Meanwhile, the Guardians, the few parents of the eggs that lived within the village and not elsewhere like in the cities like Warfang and Skylandina, and Ignitus' alongside his mate Nova, with her son, Shine – also Ignitus' son – were gathered at the Temple, watching over all the eggs, every single one of them unable to wait until they heard the sound of tiny paws skittering on the stone filled halls. Candle lights would show the shadows and it was nearly time.

Ignitus entered the small, cozy room with his son as the door slid open before them; just like the rest of the Temple due to magic barriers to protect the people inside, worn brown and yellow stone made up the walls and floors. The ceiling was pure red with yellow circles on the red tiles. The only decoration consisted of four tapestries - banners- that adorned the wall, one of the core elements colors and symbols on each one. A green one with the earth symbol was on the west wall, a yellow with the electricity symbol was on the east wall, red with fire symbol on the north wall and light blue with ice symbol on the south wall. One the floor was a purple rug with the convexity symbol on it. Ignitus remembered when he heard about that forbidden element but then he had to remember that the purple Dragon has to learn it. A few torches that lit up the room with a fiery red-yellow glow, setting the shadows dancing. But the main attraction here was the counters, sticking out the walls and the beautiful rainbow of colors dragon eggs that were nestled into nests carefully arranged on top of them. And separate from the other, two pale purple eggs that stood proudly on a great pedestal in an alcove in the wall with a black egg. Ignitus remembered the day when that black egg came from Nova, and he was proud of it. Even Shine was glad for it.

Ignitus looked at Shine, who let a smile come on his face, dark blue eyes brightening just a bit, as they walked past the little eggs. They would be hatching soon; the other Guardians estimated that it would be a week at the most before they were all out, and if that wasn't the limit, then it would be a month then.

Ignitus then smiles at the eggs as he looked over them. But that smile soon faded unbidden as he mused over the whole past of Malefor, the Dark Master and the first Purple Dragon that was corrupted. Ignitus knew these little unborn lives were his only hope - actually, not just his only hope; the only hope for all races that are terrorized and tormented by Malefor's forces; the Apes, Grublins, Wyverns, Orcs, and even normal creatures that became hostile. The number of known dragons were just hanging by a thread as it was a few thousand might be more if they looked for the old colonies but they didn't have time for that due to Malefor getting more persistent of finding his two children - the purple eggs. And at the rate that Malefor was doing, it would be ten years before all the Dragons were extinct or enslaved. Ignitus didn't like having to take the eggs from any of the parents if they wouldn't listen to any type of reason - but surprisingly they would allow their eggs to go to the Temple - but what choice did he have? Leave the eggs to the parents and allow the Dark Master's forces to destroy the egg while others were protected by the Guardians. He didn't want to do that. Malefor knew the prophecy as well, as he did because he was a purple dragon and even now ape spies were skulking in the shadows just waiting to find Malefor's two children that they 'had' to return back to their master. And if that happened... it would be then end for everything the Guardians have fought for.

Well, nobody was safe anymore. Ignitus didn't have all the components needed to open the lock that led to the Dark Master's prison but he did know that the blood of the Purple Dragon and a dragon born in the Year of the Dragon was just one piece of the shattered key. Malefor was not allowed to have that key at all, even if the Apes wanted freedom. It couldn't be given under any circumstances.

"What is it father?" Shine asked. Ignitus looked at his son, who was white with five horns on that were grey. His underbelly was light blue, like his wing membranes; his wings were golden color and had an extra shine to them when light reflects on them. A light Dragon; Shine was - which explains why he is called Shine. Shine is to be future Guardian of the Light element but had competition with his twin sister, Spotlight.

"I like all the others, awaited the birth of the Dragons of whom the prophecies foretold," Ignitus said as he looked down. "But the Dark Master heard the prophecies as well." He looks down with his ember eyes and scans the floor. He then looks up to see Shine walking towards the Black egg, putting a smile on his face, he was glad that the black egg will have a brother, a family to take care of it."

"I just hope that Malefor pays for what he did." Shine said as he gently places his paw on the egg.

Ignitus allowed a smile to slip onto his face again as he approached the great pedestals that held the eggs he watched over, Gently, he turned them, exposing the other side to the unusually warm air in this room, then headed back to the other nests to do the same.

As Ignitus and Shine left the room, Ignitus looked back and allowed his fears to dissipate into the darkness of his mind. They were safe here. Malefor's forces could not know about the eggs hiding place and even if they did, the dragons were prepared for it. Well equipped to fight the forces. Nothing, and the Guardians can agree with Ignitus on this, nothing would harm these little growing lives, including the life of his and Nova's own child that lay in the room with the eggs.

Or so he thought.

When Ignitus returned that night to check on the eggs again, his previous happy demeanor was gone, replaced with an uncertainty thought. He looks up and sees Nova - she returned from Darkhallow and drove the Ape forces back into retreating where they came from; Mount Malefor - patrolling the outskirts of the Temple with their daughter, and the other Guardians off doing other things as well, Ignitus had been left to his own thoughts for so long, those thoughts were very grim indeed.

His mind wandered to dark futures, examined the most shadowy crevices that will come. What if the apes did discover the location of the eggs? What if he couldn't stop them from doing their job? And worst of all, what if Malefor got his paws on those two purple eggs? What could Ignitus possibly do then? How will he atone of that sin?

The future was far more grim than he could ever anticipated. And it was getting close to it.

Ignitus slowly made his way past the eggs that lay in peaceful silence in their warm nests, stopping once more before his egg then at the two purple eggs and then heard the door open, broke his train of thought until he looked back to see Shine smiling. The Fire Guardian stared at it blankly. No thoughts crossed his mind, only an inexplicable emotion: a mix of fear of what might happen to the egg, as well as mild surprise - surprise at the thought that Malefor's mate gave birth to two little eggs that would one day save the world or become like their father. Ignitus didn't want that to happen, he wanted the purple dragon or dragoness to be safe and have a nice life without evil.

Even as he began to sense that something, something was wrong, just barely detected Volteer's pounding footsteps in the halls that led to this room, and though he didn't know it realized just exactly what was going, or in this case happening right now. He knew his heart that one day these tiny, helpless unremarkable eggs would save all of those that have fallen under their father's tyranny and pitch blacks shadow. And even as the years after that one terrifying day, tiredly wore on but the struggle for his very existence did not cease, even as his mind clouded with doubt, deep inside the old fire Dragon never once lost hope.

Ignitus snapped from his trance, alarmed, as his friend and the felled Electric Guardian, Volteer, burst through the door. Panting wildly as he tried to regain his breath, he straightened suddenly and gasped out, "Save them! The Dark Armies have come!"

Shine looks down at the floor and shook his head. "We should have hidden the eggs long before this, now that they know," Shine stopped talking and turned to look at his father Ignitus. "It's the end, isn't it?"

Ignitus looked up, waiting for the gravity of the whole conversation to sink in. "No, it's not, this is just the beginning." He walks up to the center of the room and grabs a stone tile. He gently lifts it up and a portal is seen. "Shine, get the eggs to safety, but don't put the purple and black eggs in the portal because we don't know when Malefor will come out of his prison." Eyes flashing like the fire he wielded in himself. "Where are the others?" He did not panic - experience had taught him that he had to remain calm, but he could not help the glimmer of fear that rose up in him.

Catching his breath, Volteer hurriedly said, "Cyril, Nova, and Spotlight are warning the villagers, and Terrador is trying to hold them back."

"And what about our sister, Quartz?"

Volteer didn't answer for a few moments, mustard-colored eyes scanning over the ground as it it was a book with all the answers but no answers were found. "W-we don't know - but you two must hurry."

"Save them! I'm afraid Terrador can't hold them off for much longer, and I have to stay here to protect the eggs." Shine grabs two blue eggs and gently places them in the portal. "Where does that portal lead to?"

"That my old friend, is the portal of Daggerfang." Volteer nodded, he knew the history with Daggerfang. Daggerfang was the most protective city of all the Dragon cities there were but was not the best place to let the eggs go to. But Volteer then remember that it was in the Dark Forest, making it impossible for any Ape to find the eggs due to the thick woods and - to say the least - haunting of the undead roaming. For Daggerfang, the city had to be protected because the undead would rise each night and attack the outside walls. "The forest will give great cover to the eggs, so that they can be hatched but I fear that if we put them purple and black eggs in there, the Apes will try anything to find them. Most devastating, horrible, ravage, trash, devour, raid, waste, undesirable news. We can't have that happening because if there is a slightest chance that they do find the eggs, then it will be over."

"Agreed brother," the fire Dragon said as he looked at the eggs. "We can't have that happening at all. How do you get past a lie?" He thought for a little while then smiles, "By placing it under their noses and wait for the outcomes." Volteer shook his head when Ignitus said that. It was a proud saying Dragons had when they wanted to get something done under Malefor's rule. Ignitus, turning around grabbed the purple and black eggs and looked at Shine. "You get the others, I'll get these."

"Yes father," Shine said as he placed more and more eggs in the portal.

Ignitus knew he needed to act fast if he was to save the eggs in time, so he focused on this as best as he could as Volteer, slipping back into a panic of fear, headed outside to guard the entrance. Ignitus' eyes scanned over the eggs, but they immediately feel on the pale purple and black eggs in his arms, and he knew what he had to do; there was no other choice really. He must put the purple and black dragon above all others - only they had a chance to defeating the Dark Master one day but that chance was very small, it was all the world had.

"Hope is what makes us strong. It is why we are here. It is what we fight with when all else is lost." Ignitus said as he ran out of the room with the eggs to his chest with one paw. Dashing wordlessly past Volteer as he continued down the hall after twisting, turning the corner. Eventually he reached the great training room, where Malefor's statue was at, looking condescendingly upon all those who passed in and out. Every time Ignitus met it, he closed his eyes and hoped that this time it would be different. But now he didn't have time for that, it was save the eggs or let them get crushed. Ignoring the flashing eyes of the great sandstone and marble statue, he rushed out onto the balcony. There he burst into the air without delay, as his wings flapped he could feel the wind touch each of his wing scales. Movement around him as he looked down to see the fighting. He then saw a black dragoness fighting the Apes and then smiled, know full well that it was his mate, Nova. He then had to focus on the eggs so his smile had to fade away before he could fly off once more.

he heard them before he saw them. Shrill screeches that rippled through the air and clawed through your brain, grinding against Ignitus' skull and making him flinch, as it was always like that. Swooping down, he just barely saw them, their furry tattered leather bodies shining in what little light the moon slivers gave. Dreadwings. The bat-like creatures, with their sharp teeth, long wings with tattered membranes, bulky, furry body, and the scream that can stop you dead in your tracks literally after paralyzing you with fear, looked and sounded like something that crawled out of its way of a forbidden nightmare. Nightmares that were dangerous to speak off and yet the Dreadwings might have came from those types of nightmares.

Panic shot through him when he too saw another figure flying against the strong winds, had just picked up before bashing through the Dreadwing squad. Quartz!

He saw her form, barely a silhouette against the pitch black sky. Slipping through the air while dodging the attacks of the Dreadwings and the range of their screams. One by one, the great creatures were knocked out of the sky by the green dragoness' blasts of Earth missiles. Ignitus glanced at the eggs hesitantly and made his choice. Nova might need help, but if the Dreadwings were here then the Apes would be after the eggs as well and it was more important that their child with the purple dragons be brought to safety.

Just as Ignitus began to turn and speed off towards the Silver River, barely visible through the heavy mushroom forest, two screams tore through the air - one was the piercing shriek of a Dreadwing and the other was a cry for a dragon. Whipping around, Ignitus was just in time to see ripples of the wavelengths of the Dreadwing's visible cry and something else darting down into the darkness of the forest.

"Quartz," Ignitus screamed over the whipping winds. He then saw a light coming down through the starless sky, Ignitus looks up and sees Shine following the Dreadwing and Quartz. "Shine? Quartz?" Quartz didn't respond - paralyzed, she only continued to fall down, down, down into the darkness until she was grabbed by Shine. Ignitus let a sigh of relief as Shine is flying towards him with Quartz in his paws. "Thank you my son."

"Anything for family," Shine said as he looked at Quartz. He starts to descend towards the ground and gently places Quartz on the ground. "The eggs are safe but the Apes are trying to find the portal. Volteer told me to come and find you because if they find that portal-"

"The end will begin," Ignitus finished Shine's sentence. He looks over to Quartz and gritted his teeth before turning back. He knew very well that he needed to put the eggs priority - Quartz and the family would want him to. And, too, if he went to help, she would said she was perfectly alright and chide him for going after her. He sighs as he gently lands in front of his son,. Ignitus then looks at Shine and hands him one of the purple eggs. "Here. You need to find a way to get these young ones out of here."

"As-" Shine was interrupted by a spear that went through the egg. He sighs "Fuck this..." He quickly grabs the eggs from Ignitus and flies off. "Go, you are needed at the temple. I'll do this."

"May the ancestors look over you."

"May they look over us all."

Shine then quickly flies off as Ignitus took one of the three apes by the head and slammed him into a mushroom with a comet dash. Screaming in pain, Ignitus looked down and saw blood coming for his leg. When he comet dashed, the Ape must have took his sword and cut the scales to the skin. He then looks towards the final two before unleashing a barrage of firebolts towards them. As each firebolt hit the ground, the explosion quickly expanded as a reversed type of fire rain hit the Apes' fur, making them run away as the fire burnt them alive.

"Brother, go help Shine," Quarts demanded. Ignitus looked at her and closes his eyes. "Please brother, he is your son and he needs your protection until he is the Light Guardian."

"Okay," Ignitus said as he patted Quartz's hand. "I love you as my sister."

"And I love you as my brother. I wouldn't trade you for anything because you care about the family." She looks at him and smiles. "Go."

Ignitus looked at her before flapping his wings. "Go back to the temple, okay?" Quartz looks at him and nods, this made Ignitus have a smile on his face. As he turns around, the howling of the Apes are heard. He takes in a deep breathe and starts flying. "May the Ancestors give you comfort and strength." It only took a few minutes to reach an opening where Shine was at. Ignitus knew that Shine was trying his best to protect the eggs and he knew that Shine would die for his unborn sibling's protection.

Shine stops what he was doing, by the looks of it - it looked like he was trying to see if he can get the eggs to float on the river. The silver Dragon stopped at the banks of the Silver River - appropriately named; though in day the river was like dazzling gold but at night it was gentle waters that bathed in the soft silver glow from the moon light that shone through right to its darkest depths. Shine then stops again and looks over his shoulder to see his father. "What do we do?"

Ignitus glances back at the Temple, illuminated not by even one candle within the halls or rooms, as they had all been blown out by the harsh winds or were thrown out due to a small pillar of smoke was coming from somewhere close to the Temple within the forest. "We see where we bring the eggs."

"I'll take the eggs and see if a family will take them."

"NO!" Shine looks at the old Dragon with wide eyes. "Sorry, but I don't think that is a good idea. No one has seen a Dragon for a long time. But even if they did, due to Malefor's forces taking in wyverns it would be hard to trust a dragon."

"And what are we going to do," Shine asked. "We can't leave them. We have to do something. Anything."

Ignitus looks down at the soft soil that is below his paws. "You're right. Not only as a parent but as the prophecy must happen." Shine smiles as he walks towards a mushroom. Ignitus looks over what Shine was doing, and knew Shine had something planned. "What are you doing?"

"This," Shine said as he took a mushroom cap and removed the insides of it. "This is what I'm doing." He then places the purple egg in the cap's interior and gently pushes it down the river. Ignitus then got the idea and took a small mushroom and removed the interior insides of it after breaking the stem. Shine then grabs the black egg and places it Ignitus' mushroom cap's interior. Ignitus then gently pushed the mushroom down the river and watched as the eggs floated away from their sights.

"May the Ancestors look over you," he raised his voice before pausing. He bows his head for a few seconds while saying, "May they look after us all and hope there won't be another Malefor." Raising his head, he watched as they disappeared behind a bend, watched as his only hope - the world's only hope really - slipped away from the Ape's grasp. Shine then flaps his wings before flying, Ignitus took to the air and did not look back as Shine started to cry. "What is it?"

"What if that black egg is destroyed then what?" Ignitus' son asked with heavy grief.

"It won't come to that, I promise that because you are going to watch them, they should be hatching within hours." Ignitus assured. Shine looked back at him and gives a nod.

"Very well, father." Shine's last words before turning around to follow the eggs. Ignitus gives a warm smile as he saw something in Shine that he remembered well - a brother figure like he was with Quartz. Ignitus smiles at the memory and flies down to the Temple's balcony that he jumped off of. "Ancestors, hear my plea. Watch over my son, my unborn child, and the purple dragon. Watch over them and give them a sign that they should see me before Malefor is released. Please…" He then turns around and prays again, "Ancestor's keep my daughter and my wife safe." He then walks towards the doors towards the hatchery to see Volteer isn't there, he halts. He looks around and sees blood is around where Volteer is at, as were the charred marks from the electricity on all walls, floor, and ceiling, marring the prophecies written on it. Apes were know to be unstable and energetic but to have the prophecies marred, it was a sin that can't be forgiven. Fear jumped into Ignitus' heart, but he tried to shove it down. The apes surely couldn't have gotten past the other guardians - Volteer, Cyril, Nova, Terrador, and Raito - could they?

Ignitus, sucking in the breath that escaped from his lungs, breathed a great burst of fire from his breath sac. Only elemental attacks could open the doors - there has, no was no way the dirty Apes could have gotten inside.

The first thing that greeted Ignitus was the sight of Ratio and Volteer fighting against the Apes. Ignitus breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to them. "Anything I need to know," he asked.

The Silver dragon with five horns with black membranes on his wings looked at him. "They found a way," he pointed up as he swatted three Apes with his tail. "They breached the Temple from above with Dreadwings and what not." Ignitus had to give it to the Apes, they really wanted to get their job done and is willing to do anything. "They tried-" he takes his paw and throws a large Ape to the wall. "They just keep coming."

"Hold it together brother," Volteer said in a brotherly voice. "We have to close the portal. But if we do that, it leaves us vulnerable to the Dark Armies."

"You focus on the enemy, I'll close the portal," Ignitus said as he walked over to the portal and placed one brick at a time back to their slots they were to go. As the final brick is placed back in, the Dark Armies start to float in the air and then start to spin around. "Security measure I think we should need it more."

"Agreed," Ratio and Volteer said.

"Where are the others," Ignitus asked.

"Terrador is outside, making sure no more are coming," Ratio unleashes a wall of Blinding Light as shards kill every Ape in the room. "Cyril, Nova and Spotlight are getting people down in the bunkers as we speak. I'm about to head there myself."

"Brother, don't," Ignitus stopped Ratio. "We need you more than ever because you are close to appoint your nephew or niece as the Guardian of Light."

"And I have," Ration walked to the door and opens it. "My favorite nephew, Shine will be the Guardian. Tell him he will be Guardian because I have a feeling that I'm going to die today because of Malefor wanting something from me."

"And what would that be," Volteer asked with a demanding voice.

"Malefor's mate had a third egg." The two Guardians - they listened to Ratio - their eyes grew wide. "I didn't want to tell you; but there was a third egg. And all three eggs are Malefor's children. Two purple eggs and a red egg - well, it was a red egg if it didn't hatch already."

"Oh no," Volteer was in complete shocked. "Where is the child?"

"The Apes took her."

"Her?" Ignitus and Volteer asked in unity. Not once have they heard about. "TOOK?!"

"Yes, they took her…," Ratio commented.

"And her name," Ignitus asked.

"Ember," Ratio said with great remorse. "I named her Ember. But it's the end now. And it's my fault. I should have protected her and got her away from the Apes hands but I watched in fear as they attacked me and Volteer."

"Her egg hatched and one of the Apes called her Ember and said something about what Malefor wanted her for something 'good'. But we all know what Malefor is, anything but good."

"You mean Malefor wasn't after the Purple and Black eggs." Ratio nodded his head. "But why? Why wouldn't he want them instead of a fire Dragon."

"Because that fire Dragoness was going to replace you," Volteer replied. He looks at Ratio and gave a sigh. "Right?"

"Yes. She was to replace Ignitus and if he corrupts her and brings her back, then she will be more powerful than Ignitus because Ignitus is the one that-," Ration was about to say another word before blood splattered out of him. He looks down and sees a spear tip from his back. He grabs the tip and tries to take it out but fails every time as his paws slipped off. "I… die… now…" With that, his last breathe was given and his lifeless body falls down to the ground. Ignitus and Volteer looked at each other and quickly breathed their breathes at the door, making it shut before any Apes would enter. As the door closes, an Ape's arm is seen and cut off by the pressure of the door.

"No, brother!" Ignitus quickly ran towards Ratio's body. "No, you had so much to live for."

"Ignitus, we'll let him have a burial at the end of this day, okay?" Volteer asked. Ignitus looked at Ratio's body but Volteer closed his eyes, trying to see if he can think of a way to help him. "Ignitus, please see reason with me?" Volteer thought to himself. "Ignitus?-"

"I heard you!" Ignitus said as he got up from the ground and walked out of the room. "I lost my twin brother today, I don't need to lose anyone else." As he walked out of the room, he could hear himself cry about what happened, losing someone that is a brother like Ratio will be hard for him - it will be hard for anyone really. Hell finally broke through but it wasn't the end because Ignitus knew that the Purple and Black Dragons would defeat Ember and Malefor. He feared this day would come when Malefor got his paws on a Dragon that he had to corrupt in order to be released from the prison.

Ignitus took a few unsteady paces forward, not sure what to do. His head was spinning and despair flooded his mind; his vision blurred and he felt as if he might just drop to the ground and die right then for failing to protect the world. As the realization came back to him and sank into his mind, the Guardian's heard dropped. He failed to protect the world, but he failed to protect his own brother, Ratio, from demise and failed to protect the Temple. Something he didn't want to live by.

What do you have to live for, when only life you ever known comes to a sudden end, when you had to protect everything, protect your own life, and the fate of others, your child torn from you, and when the future is only death, despair and pain is utterly inescapable?

Even as Ignitus' days turned into nightmares, he knew even when he truly lost everything but his mate and his twin children, even when he felt as if the only reprieve from the torture would be death, the purple and black eggs he had saved still gave him something - something that, even within the darkest of days a single light would light it, still lingered in the back of his mind - something called hope.

-Week Later - Silver River to Lake Sioldila

Through whatever force of nature, the eggs survive. Some might have said it was by intervention by the Ancestors, guiding the eggs to safety; others could believe it was merely fate itself; while many others thought it be no more than something called blind luck that characterized the unborn dragons, but the others would say that Shine had to do something about it because he followed the eggs for a long time - a week to be processed. Whatever the case, they would soon be somewhere safe, somewhere the war's ravages had not discovered yet, and would probably be years before the war would come up.

But as morning dawned over the world, the river's waters were set like fire was underneath it due to the sun's light, the eggs was only just beginning their journey to respite. Though the river was thankfully calm and mild that day, it made the trip much slower and Shine was glad of it as he walked on the side banks, smiling. And the eggs were getting closer to the end of that particular part of its life cycle… Shine knew they would hatch soon, any minute now, but he also knew if they hatched, he couldn't return to the temple.

The creatures inside were beginning to stir from their slumber and awaken to a new life. A new beginning, a beginning spared from the sufferings of war, if only for a little while. And who knows how long that would be.

The egg traveled for a long time, for a full week as Shine followed it and gave daily updates via hawk to Ignitus - about five hour or six's walk from the Temple, if that. Still, despite its close proximity to a place that been previously swarmed by Apes only a week ago, the location was deep in the heart of the swamp and yet seemed to be untouched by any type of war.

When the egg arrived to its final destination, coming to rest on the muddy, sloped shore, it was perhaps midday. Shine looks up to the sun and tries to see what phase of the day it is. He then came to the conclusion that it was in fact midday. An hour before, the only three residents of the area - a group of Dragonflies, Flash with his wife Nina and their newborn son Sparx; who was only yet a few hours old - had decided to take a fly to the river to get some fresh air. Now only just arriving, they were greeted with a rather surprising sight; the eggs sitting placidly on their caps and rocking gently in the sparkling water that looked golden, the current pushing it to the shore and keeping it from drifting back out again. Then they see Shine laying next to the bank as if he was watching the eggs, a small smile was on his face.

Fear sprung up within the Dragonflies' minds - all except Sparx due to him being asleep in his mother's arms while the soft golden glow was dimming - but curiosity touched them as well. Never have the seen a Dragon up close like this. What could this white Dragon possibly be protecting in the great eggs? It was unlike anything both of them had ever seen… But Flash remembered seeing a big red Dragon that was Ignitus during his time of being on the mainland in a colony that Ignitus had to protect then return back to the Dragon Temple. Flash owed Ignitus everything. For without Ignitus, the whole colony would have been burnt to the ground. But when Flash saw Shine resting on the ground, he saw Ignitus' features in him. But after what Malefor did, he had to run from because he was associated with a dragon and by law, he had to die. Escaping the colony's martial law's strict laws and very torturous punishments; traveling over the ocean he found a small island and, exhausted if you were traveling for several days, decided to find a safe place to rest there.

After wandering into the swamp, he came upon Nina, whose mother just recently passed, hand raised her there all her life. Nina did not remember her early childhood, her father's death and her mother's just narrowed it to escape from it; all she knew was the Swamp. But Flash, who had seen the outside, had seen only one dragon before, Neither dragonfly knew what to make of this.

Curiosity seized the pale red dragonfly and she could not help but fly slowly forward, towards the eggs, but Shine quickly places his paw in front of them. "Stay away from them!" Shine ordered. "You are not going to hurt my siblings and the Legendary Purple Dragon." Nina and Flash flinched when Shine said that, but that didn't stop Shine to give a shocked looked at them. "Sorry, I thought you were with the Apes."

"Why do you say that?" Flash asked.

"Y-you haven't heard?" Nina and Flash shook their heads. "Apes attacked the Dragon Temple and I was tasked to get these eggs out of there." Shine looks down at the eggs and sees them start cracking. "Good timing." The creatures in the eggs, instinct seizing them, began to pound upon the thin shell from the inside. Shine just smiled as Nina and Flash had terror seizing them, they flew back without a word and they both backed away from the eggs. But they weren't willing to run; they wanted too much to see what lay inside this strange egg that Shine was protecting.

A large crack split down the middle of the egg, then another and another one, and finally, with a loud crack, the shells broke open. Shine looked over to see two purple Dragon hatchlings sitting down next to each other, but he looks at the black egg and sees it stop moving. Fear struck him as he thought the hatchling in the egg died. He bows his head but then lifts it when he heard a loud crack. As the egg finally cracked open, a small female black Dragon comes out. Shine smiles and looks back at the purple hatchlings, soft scales with discolored purple. They looked at each other then jumped on them, making them roll down the bank of the river. When they stopped rolling upon reaching the grass, the two twins, confused, just laid there for a moment. The black hatchling crawled towards them and laid beside the male hatchling.

"Wow," the shocked Nina breathed, unsure what to even think. "What are they?"

"These are hatchlings - a baby version of a dragon," Shine replied as he walked towards the hatchlings and grabs them before moving them back to his side. "Cynder…" he said as he looked at the black dragon. "I name you Cynder from our native language - Draco Mindah - for dark shadow."

"That's beautiful." Nina said. Shine looked down at the ground and sighed. "Something wrong?"

"My father hasn't even contacted me. I sent messages about me and the eggs. I fear that he may be dead. And that's something I don't want to hear or see about it. He wanted to see another child of his, if he is dead, then Cynder will know the truth."

As Nina looked at the purple ones with yellow horns, spikes jutting out of their head and back but the female one had spikes going down her back to the end of her tail; large, orange, membrane wings, plated underbellies that were yellow as their wing membranes, their wings were red as blood, one of them had a tail blade that was shaped as a spade while the other had a tail blade that was shaped as a sword blade, and - as they noticed as one of them yawned as it struggled to himself off his back and talking them just talking to Shine before the eggs hatched - very sharp teeth fit only for a carnivorous species - or, in this case, omnivores with carnivorous tendencies - they seemed almost like monsters out of a nightmare despite their innocent faces, wide, purple eyes and helpless infancy.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you." Shine assured them. He looks at them and chuckles as Cynder grabs a hold of the male purple dragon and brings him down to the ground. "Reminds me of the time Spotlight and me had fun before father grounded us for breaking the family urn."

"I have to ask." Flash started, Shine looks at him and nods. "Are you related to Ignitus? I'm just asking because you look like him but white."

"Yes, I'm his son."

The stupefied dragonflies watched in utter bewilderment as the three hatchlings, despite their own surprise managed to roll onto their stomachs. Though at first they crawled forward slowly, unsure what to do and where to go in the amazing world, they began to climb onto their feet. One managed to walk a few steps on unsteady paws, claws digging into the soft soil, before falling back down again but Shine quickly catches her. He gently places her back on her four paws and chuckles. "Stumble a little, learning quickly," Shine said as he got on his stomach. As he looked down at the ground, he brings the hatchlings next to him. Nina and Flash could tell he was in great pain and wanted to help.

Nina and Flash looked at each and flown behind a mushroom. She then bows her head as her new-found maternal instinct kicked in, "What do we do?"

"What do you mean, 'what do we do?"" Flash asked, turning to Nina with a confusion on his face, most of it was that he doesn't know what the hatchlings would do.

"We can't just leave them there, Flash. And that dragon might not want to return until he is certain that he can return. He's been here for a while by the looks of it."

"We don't even know what they might do… They could be dangerous. And we can't put our newborn in danger." He takes his head and looks past the mushroom they are behind and sees the dragons resting, many grim possibilities passed through his mind. He didn't know if they would attack them while they were sleeping, or hurt Sparx. Or much worse.

"What they are, are three helpless children and a young Dragon that might not know if his father and mother are alive… And I'm not going to leave them here to die." Had Nina not been holding Sparx, she would have crossed her arms in the most intimidating manner to scare Flash. "That dragon can help us with this, he knows what Dragons need to live. Let's keep them safe until he is ready to leave with them."

Flash, glancing at the hatchlings and Shine, sighed. She was more than right; how could he protest? Sure they were little but they would fall into the river and drown or get eaten by frog weeds if they left them. "Alright, Nina. Just until that dragon is ready to leave with them."

Shine had to leave the next day after getting the letter from his father, he was glad and happy that he got a letter from him but was in complete fear when he heard that Ember, sister of the purple dragons, got the other four Guardians already. Malefor was busy, and when he learned about this, he feared what would happen later. He went to Flash and explained the whole situation and asked if they would keep the young dragons until it was time for them to learn their elemental attacks. Flash was glad that Shine got to hear from his parents but was shocked that they didn't want the young Dragons back until Shine told him that Apes could be still there and it would end everything. Like always Flash agreed, he knew Ignitus wouldn't have forgotten that, but he understood that if the world is to have hope, the purple and black Dragons need to be prepared and not killed before the age of accountability.

But Shine didn't turn up. Nina would always plead, "Please, Flash - he will come but we have to have them safe for Shine. Shine will come, I promise you that. Just one more week." A week turned into a month, a month into a year and by then they had to accept it. Shine wasn't coming back but then Flash remembered that Shine will come when it was time and knew that the young Dragons' time wasn't ready until Shine comes back. They had to accept the strange little hatchlings into their hearts and their lives long ago. Both of them dreaded they day they knew would come someday, the day when they had to tell them what the truth is. But they agreed to let Shine tell them when it is time. They just hope it would be years from here but it was just like that, it was years.

For the moment, though, this worry did not pervade their minds. Now, they were only focused trying to get the hatchlings home. Drawing their attention, Flash and Nina gently coaxed them forward. Interested in these talking bright lights, they once more stood up and stumbled forward, but this time they managed to stay on their paws, and step after step they slowly followed their 'family' home.

On the way, the purple female hatchling broke away from her brother and Cynder, attracted by a new light source that was glowing blue. Though Nina continued to lead the other hatchlings onward, Flash went after the girl while Shine followed him, who had tripped off behind a large mushroom.

Flash found her sitting on the ground, clutching something in her mouth - a small blue crystal. Flash had seen these crystal growths before, but he always ignored them, unsure what they were. Even he, a Dragonfly all but disconnected from the arcane, could feel the pulse of magic about them and was wary of the things.

Shine comes up and grabs the little hatchling with his paw before lifting her up on his head. "Let's go -," Shine then stopped, remembering that she had no name. Pausing, he slowly said, "Crystal…" The name felt right; it was unexplainable but it just seemed to suit the girl perfectly. And, too, she seemed to love it, despite the crystal in her mouth she smiled and agreeably wagged her tail like an energetic puppy. Shine chuckles as he followed Flash back to Nina.

Nina agreed with the name; like Shine and Flash thought, it simply seemed right and appropriate with her. As for the boy hatchling, she had an idea of her own.

"Blaze," she said. Shine looked at her and shook his head. "What?"

"Dragons go by the elemental powers and type they are. But since he is a purple Dragon, he can be named something different, like Spyro," Shine stopped talking and saw the young male hatchling wagging his tail. "He agrees with it." Ignitus' voice echoed in his mind as he told the young Dragon stories of his grandfather.

Flash glanced at Shine knowingly, but he nodded. "Cynder, Crystal, and Spyro."

"We'll just call them that until Shine leaves," Nina said softly, glancing sadly at the smiling hatchlings. Already she felt attached to them; though she knew she would have to give them up to Shine and the other Dragons, she didn't want them to go.

"Don't worry about it," Shine said. "I'm sure my father wouldn't want them to come back to the Temple if Malefor's forces," Nina and Flash shrugged at the name of Malefor, "attacked the Temple a week ago. We can't risk them or Malefor won't lose the war."

Spyro, Cynder, and Crystal happily spent that warm night outside under the stars, curled up together under a mushroom with Shine next to them, tailed wrapped around the three hatchlings. But Flash and Nina needed to find them another place to stay if Shine's words were true, and for when the hatchlings get older. Their nest-home that hung from the branch of a tree was smaller than one of the hatchlings so obviously they couldn't stay there. It didn't take them long - the answer was more than obvious.

Near their home, there was a small clearing, bare all except for a bit of undergrowth and one tall spruce tree. One that there was an old abandoned watcher's post that had been there even when Nina was a child. It seemed safe - though uninhabited, the tough wood had resisted years of rain and wasn't rotted. There were no windows and it was completely bare except for three chests with nothing but a small bag and inside and some dusty blankets, but it would suffice when the nights grew crisp and cold, but sleeping outside in the humid swamp was not a good option.

Now, at midday the next day, Flash and Nina watched with careful for Sparx as Shine lets his arm out to get a hawk's attention. As the hawk swooped down and latched itself onto Shine's arm, a not comes out of its mouth and the white Dragon grabs it with his left paw. He unfolds it and smiles as he recognizes the writing. "Father," he said in a soft voice. He then takes his tail blade and dips it in some berry juice he made for a substitute for ink. He then starts writing a letter with a smile. After a few minutes, he gives the letter to the hack and motions it to go, "To Ignitus, the Fire Guardian." The hawk then flies off while Shine looks over his shoulder to see Flash and Nina watched the whole event. "You saw that." The two Dragonflies nodded. "Then I must return, it will take me a few days to get there, I need to go now. Just protect them. I'll be back to get them after I find out when they need to come. "

As they were talking, they see Cynder, Spyro and Crystal are playing with Sparx - who had just learned out to fly about an hour ago, though he was getting rather tired by the expression on his face. The three young dragons both were careful, which surprised the older ones - even to Flash and Nina, who knew these fearsome-looking creatures could be such gentle giants? Even Cyrstal, who had seemingly lost her gem but was more excited and energized like a hyper child, was strong enough to run short distances in her play despite she was only a day old. Spyro and Cynder tried to keep up while Sparx was being chased by Crystal.

Shine chuckled for a little bit before flapping his wings, when he flapped his wings, the young dragons stopped what they were doing and looked at Shine. As he slowly lifted himself off the ground, they looked at him with wide eyes, they dreamed they would fly like Shine would do one day and they hopped it would happen so but that day won't be for a long time due to their wings aren't strong enough. As Shine was finally off the ground and in the air, he started to gain altitude. The young dragons were in complete awe for a while before Shine was out of their sight, but to Spyro it was something magical because he tried to flap his wings like Shine did but instead of hovering, he fell down on his stomach.

The three dragons seemed to like their new home, the dragonflies who were now their family until Shine would return. Even though someday they would wonder about how they could be dragonflies when they looked so different, and even though doubt would creep into their minds and they couldn't help but think perhaps - perhaps this wasn't their family… Deep down, they knew the Swamp was their home; where they belonged and where they would always come back to see their adopted parents no matter how far they wandered. For this was not only their home but their place in the world now.


	2. Chapter 2: Innocence

**Chapter 2: Innocence**

As Shine lands at the Temple's balcony, he is greeted by his parents, Nova and Ignitus. He looks at them and sighs, "The eggs just hatched about three days ago." It took him three days from where was at with the eggs to back to the Temple. Ignitus looked at him and smiles. "And I have a sister." That made Nova and Ignitus' hearts skip a beat as heard that.

"Shine there is something we need to tell you," Nova said as Ignitus grabs Ratio's Mastery of Light medallion. "Your uncle died and wants you to be the next Light Guardian." Shine's eyes grew wide when heard that, fear and sorrow came from him.

"What," Shine asked in disbelief. "That can't be. He can't die, he just can't die…" Tears roll down his eyes as he turned his back away from his parents. He then looks at Ignitus, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME IN THE NOTE?!"

"I left it out because I feared it would have made you commit suicide," Ignitus said as he handed the medallion to Shine. "But since you're are too young to be a Guardian because you are eight years old, you have to be-"

"Twenty years old I know." Shine said as he turned around. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"

Nova smiled as she wrapped her wings around Ignitus and Shine. "We were talking if the eggs hatched, we need someone to keep an eye on them. And I think you would be perfect for the objective." Shine bowed his head and sighed before looking back at his parents. Guilty, rage, fear, and sorrow filled him and he just didn't know what to do - like he had a choice really.

"Okay, I'll watch them. And don't do what you did to me like what you did a week ago," Ignitus knew what Shine was talking about but Nova had confusion written all over her face. "You should have written when I sent a report." Shine got brought his wings up and walks from Nova's motherly hug and walks to the balcony. He grabs the ledge while pulling himself up and looks at the forest. His emotions were slowly pacing away as he felt relaxed, looking down at the mushroom forest, he could just look out for hours. "Okay, when do I need to leave?"

"Any time," Nova said as Ignitus chuckled. "We want the two protected." Shine sighed as he looked at them.

"There are three. The purple egg had twins," Shine said as he smiled.

Nova and Ignitus were shocked when they heard that, they didn't believe it would happen. "So there would have been four," Ignitus said. Shine looked at him and gave a confused expression. "Ember is the purple dragon's sister but under a different mother. Ratio told us that she was the purple dragon's sister and we did research and found out that there was a dragoness named Frost, her and Malefor had Ember. Malefor mated with her before he mated with Bright, which gave us the two purple eggs. Then one got destroyed."

"I still remember that day when…," Shine closed his eyes as he tried to forget that dreaded day when one of the eggs was destroyed right in front of him. He didn't want that to happen again. "I'll leave soon."

"Wait," Ignitus started, Shine looks at him. "You can't be seen at all. Just watch them for afar okay?"

Shine nods as he lifted himself up into the air. As his wings start to flap, Ignitus and Nova smiled knowing that Shine would protect not only the purple Dragons but his own sister as well. After a few seconds, Shine starts to lift himself higher and higher until he starts flying towards the north of the swamp.

 **\- 11** **years later - Silver River's Old Watch Post**

"Tag," Shine looked over his shoulder as he saw the little dragons play in the valley. He chuckles when he sees his sister tapping Sparx with one paw very gently. "You're it." The sound rippling through the air like the rays of the setting sun. The crisp cold bit on their scales, but the heat that came from running about quickly dispelled it, warming them up like their were next to a crackling fire. Shine has been watching for years, eating off what he can find. And when the young ones weren't near the house - due to playing - he would visit Nina and Flash but told them it's not time but he is watching to see when it is time.

Sparx looked towards Crystal and quickly tagged her before she could counter-tag him but by the time she raised her arm, he was long gone. "Fuck," she said under her breath. She then saw Spyro running towards the slope that lead next to the path of the snake head. Crystal was faster than him, so she let him get a head starts before she charged right tough with no effort. When she got close to him, she tagged him.

Spyro groaned good-naturally and turned around to count. Him, Cynder, Sparx, and Crystal were playing a game they called Tag Hide and Seek that they made up about five years ago. Running off, it only took Cynder and Crystal to find good hiding places. Cynder went behind the tree and started climbing as Crystal went to a bush and jumped in. Cynder then saw Crystal crouched down. For a while Crystal grew chill now that she wasn't moving, but she tried her best to ignore it; Spyro would find her, Cynder or Sparx soon and then she would be able to run again. Shine rolled his eyes as he looked down from his vantage point. Almost time and yet they haven't learned much, he thought.

"I caught Sparx," they heard Spyro yelled out.

Cynder and Crystal popped their heads from their hiding places. "You did," the both asked in surprise, Spyro never was able to catch Sparx; sure the golden gnat was fast but he also knew how to fly and didn't have to tramp through the mud like the others had to do.

In a flash Spyro was standing beside Crystal. "No. You're it," he pushed her shoulder and dashed away before she could retaliate. Cynder was laughing at the whole event.

"Hey, that's not fair." Crystal complained. Managing to untangle and rip the vines that had her pinned, she ran towards Spyro and tagged him, ignoring the rules that said she had to count and give him a chance to hide. Rules were meant to be broke, right? "Now you're it," she said with an evil laugh.

"That's cheating!" the indignant Spyro exclaimed. Cynder comes up and laughs at them.

"Spyro, you cheated first," Cynder said as walked past them.

"What?"

"You cheated first," Crystal said. Spyro looked at her rebutting behavior.

"No, you did!"

"No, you did! I know you Spy."

Cynder shook her head as Sparx came up but stops Cynder from moving. "I've got an idea," Sparx said irritation, flying between the purple dragons. "What if I'm it?"

"Fair enough," Crystal said agreeably, completely forgetting about the argument that had just started.

Spyro and Crystal, oddly enough, argued a lot. And by a lot, they don't mean like random, but like nearly constantly - they fought basically over anything and everything; who would get out of the house first, who had to be it, and where they would go if happened to go in the swamp. The arguments were usually settled with a mild fight. Though they always made up in the end. A special connection they had, but… sometimes, Crystal just wish it hadn't been like that. Ever since Spyro started dating Cynder - sure they were adopted by the dragonflies but they told the purple dragons that they weren't related to Cynder - arguments became less and less and Crystal was glad for that.

They only had to play for fifteen more minutes before Nina called them inside to go to bed, much to my dismay. Their curfew was at sundown - Nina and Flash didn't want them wandering the swamp after dark due to unacceptable things could happen like the time when Spyro and Cynder broke curfew and both had one leg broke - but for Crystal, she wanted to play tag all night. Still, thought, she came willingly, tired after a long day of play and didn't want to provoke their parents because she saw what they did to Spyro and Cynder.

Crystal climbed onto the low branches of the tree easily, quickly jumping from bough to bough until she reached the trapdoor. Cynder and her learned to climb early on and could now scale a tree quicker than Spyro by thirty seconds tops, something they prided themselves - which was a sin in Spyro's books - and often taunted Spyro about it - he could only climb a tree in forty seconds, until one day where Cynder and Crystal were about to fall out of the tree and that is where Spyro quickly climbed the tree in twenty seconds, just five seconds ahead before they fell.

Grabbing onto the floor of the watcher's post and pulling themselves up - the ladder that had once been here was gone, frayed and snapped ropes still hanging from the bottom as the old wood rotted away. The place the whole family of Dragonflies and young Dragons were living was just bare as it was thirteen years ago, but now the little chest in the corner was filled with random things - main this-and-that. Smooth pebbles from the Silver River, strange crystal fragments that were broken off, treasure of all types of treasures like gold coins, silver ingots, cans, pot shards, monster claws, and a silvery-brown hawk feather - Crystal found that feather next to the house one day, she didn't caught a glimpse of the magnificent bird, but the sleek feathers were beautiful to her and the others when she showed them to Cynder, who showed it to Spyro that lead to the whole family to accept the feathers.

Yawning, Crystal walked over to her blanket with Cynder besides her. As they looked down, they saw their blanket was thin, purple with strange designs on it; circles, squares, triangles, curlicues, and little lines that looked like slender, bare tree branches in the cold winter. It was coarse, but comfortable - which is better than nothing - as they plopped down on it while stretching contentedly. Cynder and Crystal were good friends and would talk after they hear everyone else snoring.

 _I'm tired_ , Crystal thought; the words traveled beyond her mind, gliding through the air until they reached their destination, Spyro.

 _Me, too,_ was the reply from Spyro's voice echoing in her mind.

Cynder looked at them with a smile and laid down. Crystal then saw Cynder was sleeping - or so she thought - and followed her example. Something about Crystal and Cynder had a good connection, but Crystal and Spyro had a connection about mind reading and giving each other thoughts. Which brings them to their connection - this was more than just a bond. They had something… very different like it was there - something special and yet had no idea how to explain it. They weren't sure what exactly, it was or how they acquired it, or even how they found what it was. It's always just… been there like it was in them for a long time. All they knew was that it was magical somehow. This was evidenced that the purple chain of energy that, when their emotions were both strong enough with each other, it crackled between them like electricity and lightning combined together.

As first Spyro and Crystal had thought it was 'normal' but after trying to transmit their thoughts to Sparx and Cynder, they both failed on Sparx but not Cynder. Realizing that nobody else seemed to have this ability, they realized just how strange it was. Though they tried to tell Nina and Flash about it, they weren't so sure about it - like they weren't sure if it was the truth - they simply thought the two purple dragons were merely playing. As for Sparx, he thought the three dragons were crazy when they told him, but they somehow - don't know why - managed to convince him that it was real. It went like it was something was weird at first but then became normal.

 **-Eight Years Ago - Silver River's Watch Post**

 _"You guys can't do that," Sparx said as he hovered above the ground. He wasn't sure if he could believe them. He then looked at Cynder and shook his head. "You can't."_

 _"But we can," Spyro countered._

 _"That doesn't make any sense," Sparx said as he crossed his arms. "You can't talk to people with your mind. If so, then it's very hard to prove it. But I'm not seeing anything about this." Sparx was always a talker no matter what._

 _"Won't you listen to us," Cynder demanded angrily, she stamping her paw on the ground. It splashed in the thin film of water that covered the ground, even at a young age, she had a temper but she was trying to control it._

 _"Cyn… relax," Spyro said as he looked at Sparx. "We can prove it." And, even at a young age, Spyro always had patience and often came up with the compromises._

 _"How," Sparx demanded as he flew next to Crystal's head._

 _"Um…," Spyro thought for a second, his eyes narrowed while looking at the ground. He then looks up and smiles. "Crystal, you go over there." He pointed at a mushroom tree that was about ten yards around. "Cynder, why don't you go over there." He pointed over at the house as he walked with Sparx to the slope. "Okay Sparx will say something to me and you tell us what he said to me." Flash and Nina was confused as they came out but Cynder shook her head and put a claw up to her mouth so they don't say a word._

 _Dubiously, Sparx flew over to Spyro and whispered a word to him. Crystal and Cynder looked at each other and waited, glancing at the blue expanse of the sky covered in a thick blanket of pillow-like clouds. They began to burn up in the hot sun; it was one of the those unbearable summers and the windless air was thick, making it hard to not only breathe but to cool down from the heat. Luckily, after a few seconds of increasingly impatient waiting, Spyro's thought reached to them._

 _Cynder laughed for a few seconds. "Mushrooms," she yelled. Sparx looked at her with opened jaw and wide eyes. "That's what you told him."_

 _"Mushrooms," Crystal asked. Cynder looked at her and nodded. "So I guess we got the same thing."_

 _"What- how did…," Sparx gaped at them. "Well…," he crossed his arms, "that's an easy one. I got one that I know for certain you won't be able to guess this." Sparx leaned down to Spyro and whispered something again. Spyro then looked up to Sparx and shook his head._

 _"You said 'There's no way Crystal and Cynder will be able to guess this one right," Cynder and Crystal said flatly, Sparx looked at them and saw that their backs was turned to them. Crystal saw Cynder turn around when Spyro transmitted the message to them, so she turned around as well._

 _Crystal turned and looked at Sparx, who said nothing and merely stared with a dumbfounded between her, Cynder, and Spyro. His blue eyes seemed to get bigger and bigger by the second. Finally, without warning, he said, "No way! I can't believe this."_

 _Flash and Nina looked at each other with shocked expression, they were thinking to themselves of how_ _that is possible for Crystal and Cynder to guess what Sparx said while he said the phase to Spyro. After a while, it hit them, they were telling the truth about it._

 _"How in the world did you guess that," Flash asked as he flew next to Spyro and Sparx._

 _"We just had it. I don't get it either. It just is," Cynder said. That made Flash and Nina more confused but then they have to remember that Dragons were known to communicate with each other._

 **-Now-**

Crystal yawned again as the waning sun's rays filtering in from the open trapdoors reaching over and pushing the trapdoor down. It closed with a bang and the room became pitch-black.

"Goodnight, sis," Spyro replied, yawning himself as he laid his head. "Night Cynder."

"Night my love," Cynder said as she lowered her head to the ground. Spyro was so lucky to have someone like her, and he didn't understand why he loved her because it was love at first sight. Crystal explained to him that they were meant to be.

Crystal curled up on her blanket, pressing against the very cold board wall, and allowed her eyes to slowly, but surely, fall shut. Asleep almost immediately, she drifted off to dreams of golden river, not unlike the one where the eggs had floated down so long ago.

She woke up once in the night, drawn from her slumber by the cold freezing wind. Shivering, she pulled herself into a ball as tight as she could physically can put her strength in it. Five minutes passed as the agonizing slowness, but she was not even warm for one second. So drowsily she stood up and crossed over to the other side of the room. She looks where Cynder is and sees her laying on Spyro's right side. She walks to his left side and drops down beside him. Spyro felt her as she put her wings on his back, he looks at her and smiles as she curled up into his side. He didn't stir and eventually they both fell back to sleep.

When morning came, Crystal wakes up to brief snatches of sunlight squeezing in past the minuscule cracks from the boards. Yawning, she pulled herself up off the ground and walked over the trapdoor and pulled it open. She then heard Flash, Nina and another voice talking. She didn't know who it was but it sounded familiar. What she saw her astonished her that she gasped in delight and stood there staring at the white dragon for several seconds as if it would disappear before her eyes. But he didn't noticed her, as she just continued to stare at the white dragon's magnificent scales that shined.

"Spyro…," she breathed in wonder. He didn't respond, so she snapped out of it. "Hey, Spyro, wake up! You have to see this!" She called to her sleeping brother. He didn't move an inch, likely trying to ignore her and enjoy the time of being with Cynder. Cynder jerked up when she heard Crystal's voice.

"What is it," Cynder asked with a yawn. Crystal just smiled.

"Come see," Crystal said as she motioned her forward. Cynder got up and walked towards the trapdoor and saw the white dragon talking. "Do you think it is who I think it is?"

"I don't know…," Cynder said as she laid down at the edge and listened.

"… listen, the Swamp is known to get a blizzard here pretty soon. I can see it and if the Ice Guardian is not here, then you will get a blizzard, not sure when. So I need to get them to the Temple and you can stay with them as long as you want," Cynder then realized who's voice it was, Shine's voice. She jerked up and looked at Crystal.

"That's the Dragon that protected our eggs," Cynder said. Crystal was dumbstruck by that statement.

"Okay, so you want-" Flash said but Shine quickly turns his head around to see two dragoness watching. "Oh dear…"

Shine looked in fear, not only was his mission compromised but now he had to explain everything. He just didn't want to explain. "'Oh dear' is right." Cynder and Crystal looked at him before jumping down from their trapdoor. As they land, Shine looks at the sky and quickly flies off.

"Wait…," Crystal said but by the time she said anything, he was long gone. "Damn it." Flash and Nina looked at them and shook their heads.

"Kids, go back inside okay," Flash ordered. Crystal and Cynder looked at each other before giving a nod. "Thank you." While they were heading back to the house, a small white flake touched Cynder's shoulder. She looks over to Cyrstal and sees more white flakes falling down. "Snowing? I remember this," Flash said as he went to the house. "Come on kids." Cynder and Crystal jumped up and traveled the tree until they got inside.

"Spyro," Cynder said as she walked up to him. He looked too peaceful, sleeping without a care in the world. "Spyro, it's snowing." Spyro's eyes shot open as he yawned.

"What, Cynder?" he asked, obviously irritated as he opened sleepy purple eyes. Blinking a few times, he yawned again. This time he looked up and saw Cynder's emerald eyes. "Can't get tired of seeing them." Cynder blushed and Spyro licked her face. "What did you say?"

"It's snowing," Cynder repeated, excitement dancing within her eyes as she smiled.

"Huh? There's no way it could be snowing, right?" Spyro shook his head and reluctantly getting on his paws. He walked over and peeked through the open trapdoor. He looked at the white snow and his face was shocked, paused of shock and the girls laughed. "It's snowing!" Sparx turned from his bed and looked at the three dragons.

"What's going on?" he asked as his golden glow started to appear. Spyro pointed down at the trapdoor, Sparx got the idea, go see what it was then report back. "Fine." He went to the trapdoor and just like Spyro, his face was shocked. "WOW! Is that snow?"

"Yeah, and I didn't believe it either," Spyro replied. None of them seen snow before but know they have and it was wonderful.

"Told you so," Cynder said with a laugh. Sparx tried to imitate her but Spyro gave him a murderous glare, like always, Sparx saw the glare and quickly stopped before flying back to bed. Cynder pushed past Spyro, then jumped down the hole and spread her wings so she dropped slowly to the ground - don't want to get hurt by any way. Her paws landed in the refreshingly cold snow with a soft, gentle crunch. The air was colder than a few months, but she didn't care - it was her, in fact everyone's first snowfall since the Ice Guardian was gone. Crystal and Spyro followed her as they saw the wonderland of white snow. It looked like a dream just came to real life.

As the three dragons ran forward into the glittering, graceful, winter wonderland, they glanced back and saw that they left deep footprints in the snow. Spyro. Spyro drooped on the ground and looked around before exchanging looks with Cynder and Crystal. He left his own prints as he got up and started to move ahead.

"I can't believe this," Cynder exclaimed, wading through the snow and trying to make her way up the little ramp that was at the edge of the clearing. "It's so beautiful. I hope I find someone would take me to a place like this every year," Spyro chuckled as Cynder brushed her wing against his side.

"I know what you mean," Spyro was enthusiastic about this. "I can't believe it either." He shook his head in disbelief.

Neither had them had ever see a single snow flake - it was too warm here for the whiteness to cover the ground like a soft blanket. Yet here it was…. And not just a mild sprinkling, but piles upon piles of it. Everything was coated with snow. It was like a dream came true and the three dragons were happy that they came to see it happen. Snow piled on the very tops of the mushrooms - as the rest had to slid off due to gravity - and glassy icicles hung on their bottom of the caps. They looked up to see the cold sun sparkling the snow, creating an enchanting effect that was so beautiful, even Dragon ice couldn't make something like this. This had to be the most bizarre but yet amazing thing they have seen!

As they tramped on, pretending that they were on a mountain covering with snow and… whatever else mountains had, their minds wandered way beyond from their home. What was the rest of the world like, was it this beautiful or was it just dull and bland that Flash explained how the mainland is. There were places out there where snow wouldn't stop at all, they knew because Nina and Flash told them about Dante's Freezer, Ice Kingdom, Empire of Ice, Snowy Mountain, Icelands, and many other locations where snow just keeps on getting bigger and bigger. But where were these places? They knew nowhere other than the place they called home - the Swamp. And only part of it, as they weren't allowed outside of certain boundaries - it was to protect them from the war as Shine would have told Nina and Flash to protect them. There was a forest just outside the Swamp, made up of large and imposing different trees, but otherwise, they didn't know where they were.

They had intended to find out once not too long before.

– Two Years Ago – Silver River Exterior to Karaltha Lake

Crystal was going to cross to the other side of the river near the clearing and keep walking until… let's just say that she 'wanted to know' it all. Everything went according to plan at first. She took Spyro and Cynder with her, mostly because she was force to bring them because they too were curious as well. They stole away from the clearing when nobody was looking and got to the river easily. But there was one problem.

None of them knew how to swim.

The river looked so happy and playful as it danced towards and along the bank. They thought it would be easy to just get in paddle over to the other side and continue on. They were dreadful - and regretfully - wrong about that part. Cynder waded into the shallows, each step became harder to take as the water became more resistant. She was not fazed, no hint of fear so she continued walking until she was up to her neck. It was at that moment that water may be playing at times but getting over your head will have certain turn of events.

The liquid grabbed onto her and slowly dragged her down the raging river. It was so shocking towards the others, they didn't move for several seconds, then they saw Cynder was like them, shocked and paralyzed with fear. Usually the Silver River was mild that you could jump right into it, not to mention it had looked just fine before but it was a change of events for Cynder.

"Spyro! SPYRO," she yelled out. She tried to get a hold of the walls but due to the pressure the water was giving, it was knocking her claws back into the water.

"Cynder! CYNDER!" Spyro cries were almost lost due to the raging river was making the sound waves less audible. As the water continued drag her, Spyro jumps on a fallen tree and waits for starts moving from the other side as Crystal starts rushing from the side Spyro left and quickly grabbed vines that were sturdy enough to hold Cynder. Cynder finally managed to turn herself due to the violently paddling but the current was too strong.

As Spyro is running along the side of the bank, but he began to lag behind - he was only thirteen and only had so much breath. Finally, in a desperate move he plunged into the water, but that didn't help at all. Now both of them were in it, literally! Terrified and regretful, they still continued to paddle, although their legs grew weak and failed them. They couldn't keep their head above the water, Cynder was thrown about and pushed under, and sometimes her gasps for air took in water instead of air.

What would happen to them? What if we became exhausted and drowned! What if there was a waterfall, or a big and very mean fish or rocks! Or what if the river went to the what was called the ocean? Flash had once described it to them, and it made them fear what it was like. It went on forever, for miles and miles, all over the world. There were sharks, whales, and other predators in it, and waves even more powerful than the Silver River's current now, and it's bottom was so far you couldn't even see it until you dived all the way to the bottom.

Spyro and Cynder weren't sure what might have happened, but they know that a stroke of luck just narrowly hit them. Shine was next to the river and quickly grabbed them by his paws. As he grabs then, he lifts them up and places them down on the solid earth. "What were you two thinking? Don't you know that the Silver River is dangerous?" As he walked over to a small mushroom, Cynder and Spyro were coughing up water all the way. "Careful, your lungs are too hydrated, keep coughing like that and you might die."

"Thank you-," Cynder started but realized the white Dragon didn't give them his name.

"My name is Shine," the white dragon said as he gave the mushroom caps to them. "Cough into the caps, don't worry the caps will hold the water."

Spyro looked at his cap and started to cough the water out. As water filled his cap up, Shine took the cap and dumped it out before giving it back. When the cap was returned, Spyro coughed one final time before giving a sigh of relief. "You're lucky I was here because if you continued on, you would be at the river exterior and into the ocean." Cynder and Spyro's eyes grew wide when they heard that, a place full of sharks where you don't want to be at because they could kill you before you could make it to shore.

"Thank you," Spyro started as he saw Crystal coming up behind him. "I'm…"

"I don't need to know who you are, because then it will get in your head that you got saved by me and people will ask about it," Shine said as he walked away from the three dragons. They were shocked to see a Dragon like Shine being out there and help them out.

What connection does he have with us, Cynder thought. Since this morning when they heard Flash and Nina talking with that same dragon, she wasn't sure about that dragon. "Shine he said, yet it seems familiar but can't put my claw on it."

"I know what you mean," Crystal replied with a nervous look. "It's like we heard his voice but where at?"

"I don't know," Spyro was confused as the others. "Come on, we need to return or mom and dad will kill us. Or worse..."

"Worse," Cynder asked as she looked at him. "What's worse than mom and dad killing us."

Spyro gulped, "Sparx getting that little hint of adventure from us and quickly start blabbing his mouth off about following mom and dad's rules. I rather get killed by mom and dad instead of getting my ear blown away by Sparx loud mouth." His sister and girlfriend looked at him and nodded, which he then starts walking away from them. Cynder and Crystal looked around them and heard Frogweeds, they didn't want to get hurt so they quickly followed Spyro. And they know what Frogweeds love, wondering animals to fall victim to their traps and quickly eat them up before they could react.

There was no evidence of their little adventure, save for a few nicks and scratches. The sun had dried them off long before they returned and it took them hours to final get back. Flash and Nina weren't that worried because they knew the three dragons would be play for a few hours before returning to home to get something to eat and drink before they would leave again and play some more until curfew. Flash, Nina, and Sparx never even knew they were gone for one second because they thought they were playing. And they never said anything about what happened because they feared what would happen. So close to being drowned if it wasn't for Shine, they would have died. They were lucky to have a guardian angel like him.

That near death episode was just a normal day compared to what they had to face for a long time. It would teach them about what the world is really about, but at a great price.


	3. Chapter 3: A Simple Game

**Chapter 3: A Simple Game…**

It's been one year after Shine saved them Spyro and Cynder from the water grave. It's been three long years and Shine had a feeling that it would be time for them to return to the Temple - even his father agrees with him. Shine glided down to his vantage point he used to keep watching the three dragons for sixteen years. He was now the Guardian of Light four years ago and now he is tasked to bring them in because Ignitus feared that the young dragons don't know how to use their elemental powers. As he watched the children, he smiles as he was remembered by the memories that him and Spotlight played around the Temple. But his memories turned to sorrows when Spotlight left the Temple to join the Skylanders. Six years that Spotlight left and Shine had to watch the dragons that Flash and Nina are taking care of. He felt great grief when Spotlight left him, they were both twins and they had everything together but now that she is gone, he didn't seem whole… not even watching the young Dragons play cheered him up from that. He looks around and grabs a small locket, opens it to see a claw that is white as his scale. Gently grabbing it before taking it out. "Spotlight, why leave us... Do you not care about the family? Now I'm just alone to protect father and mother while protecting Spyro, Crystal and Cynder. I hope you regret leaving us. Please come back... your sister may want to see you. And we need you."

Cynder looked over and saw a golden glow on top of a mushroom. Her target. She only took her eyes off Sparx a moment to glance at the tree branch that supported her weight, wobbling dangerously and ready to crack at the right moment and it seemed to be soon; she had to act faster than the branch. Taking a deep but silent breath, she tried to steadied herself. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she could hear it within the clear of day, and the adrenaline running through her veins was ceaseless. Though she wanted to spring, she had to wait, watching him until she knew when the right time will come. He was close enough now.

Cynder then sees Spyro crawling on his stomach, she knew that Sparx is about to jump and she needed the help she could get. She crouched down, ready to jump as any moment, and blew out a breath that ruffled three leafs in front of her. Eyes narrowing as she looks down, slowly tensing her body, and pounced. Leaves, in a little twister, flew into the air as Cynder busted through the treetop and the branch she was standing just broke under the extra force pushed on it. Sparx looks up, but it was too late as she aimed her paws towards him…

"Uh oh," Sparx said.

"Gotcha, you little gnat," She laughed as she somersaulted over the ground and landed on Spyro, paws cupped around Sparx. Sneak-attacking him when they were playing tag was so much fun and easy to get him He never saw it coming, even though Cynder always hid at the same spot every time no matter what.

"Whoa, there," Spyro said as he got up. "Next time warn me when you do something like that. You're insane."

"'I'm insane'," Cynder asked. "Insane is doing the same fucking thing over and over trying to get a different outcome but never get it. That is insane. I can't admit I'm insane because insane is for action, not mental illness. I just see if I can get a different result and this time I did, caught Sparx." She raises her closes paw as a golden glow is shown through the cracks.

"Really," Spyro mustered up. "Wow."

"Guess I got three in a row this time, and he never looks up," Cynder laughed but then glares at her paw. "Right Sparx?"

"Okay, black girl, just let me go," Sparx exclaimed angrily, pounding on her paw with his little fists, and glaring at her through the cracks in her paw. His eyes, having that special trait of being something green and sometimes blue, flashed angrily but this time, they went to gold. Something they never saw - complete alien to them.

Sure Sparx's words were very true, she was black, just a shade as the night when there is no moon in the sky. The color was a strange one to be - since when did you ever hear about a black dragonfly? - but they didn't mind when Sparx said 'purple boy', 'purple girl', 'black girl', 'purple twins' or 'dark purple dragons' and it didn't make any difference. Besides, it was kind of special. You don't see a lot of the colors purple and black anywhere. "What makes you think I'm going to release you?"

Sparx got his eyes wide as Cynder brought her mouth with teeth showing about five centimeters away from his head. "Oh crap! Fuck this. Let me out you crazy bitch!" Spyro is trying to hold back the laugh as Sparx is trying to pry the claws off Cynder's paw so he can escape. "Let me out of here!"

"I don't think she will," Spyro said with a wide grin.

"Let me out, let me out, let me out," Sparx scream on the top of his lungs. Cynder then looked at Spyro and moved her head away. When Sparx saw her head was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief. _She was going to kill me… right_ , he thought to himself. _No she wouldn't do that. They're like peas in a pod, two - well four due to Spyro and Crystal is with us as well - of a kind. She would do that to me… right?_ He looks up as Cynder laughs at him. "What's so funny, she-dragon?"

"That you try to escape my grip but failed every time," Cynder said with a smirk, Sparx didn't like where this was going, fear rising in his eyes as he backed away. She looks at Spyro, "See what he did, that is insane." Spyro rolled his eyes as Sparx tried to control his anger. "He won't be released until I decide to eat him."

"LET ME OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW CYNDER," Sparx screamed on top of his lungs.

"As you wish Sparx," Cynder said with a bow, standing up on her hind legs. She opened her paw, allowing Sparx to drop to the ground while in complete fear that his wings didn't even try move. She smiled sugar-sweet when he glared at her once again. Brushing himself off, he started to float disdainfully into the air and away from her and Spyro.

"Spyro, please control your girlfriend," Sparx said but heard Spyro chuckled. He looked at the purple dragon and grew wide eyes as Spyro got in defensive position.

"Alright! My turn," Spyro said with a smile and quickly jumped up.

"Me too," Crystal said as she jumped out of the tree. "Tag-team!" Sparx was shocked when the two purple dragons moved towards the base of the tree.

"Same here," Cynder said as she ran towards the base of the tree. Sparx gulped as he feared what was going to happen - the three dragons were going to try to find him about three times faster than he would try to find one.

As the three dragons leaned against the tree, the rough gnarled bark scratched against their foreheads so they had be careful because that was a sigh wood was unsettling. As they closed their eyes, Spyro starts counting aloud. The girls resisted the urge to laugh while they waited, just out of pure happiness probably. This day was bliss… a blissful day that was warm and calm, gentle breezes coming in. The last joyful experience they would have for a long time. In just a few hours, everything would change - going to war, having pain and misery facing others and killing for what peace. Every war has their deaths, but it is up to the people that are fighting to figure out what is it to fight for… and it is for peace from Malefor's iron fist tyranny.

"… Seven, eight, nine, ten. Ready or not, we're coming for you golden boy," Spyro said as he jumped off the tree with Cynder by his side. Crystal stood by the tree and looked around.

"You go find him, I'll stay here. He won't even try to find a way to get to base," Crystal smirked as she circled around the tree continuously like a wolf stalking a rabbit.

Spyro grinned, ready for fun to rush in and begin, and dropped back down on all fours. Looking around, he sees a faint little glow from his current location, but he wasn't seen that easy as when Spyro saw him, Sparx quickly rushed away. Walking over to the mushroom Sparx hid, he peered behind him but saw that Sparx wasn't there. _Fast gnat he is_ , Spyro said.

"Found him," Cynder asked, Spyro shook his head. "Fuck…"

"Hey language," Sparx's voice was heard. Spyro and Cynder smiled to each other and walked over where the source was coming from, they turned around just as he vanished from their sight, as if he had just faded from the planet. As they looked, they quickly saw him pull himself back into reality. Swirling around the purple and black Dragon's heads like he was taunting them.

They jumped, startled due to Sparx coming out of nowhere, then they laughed as Sparx made a face that was just for fun, the three dragons were taunted by that and started to chase after him. Cynder and Crystal stop after several minutes of running but Spyro kept up after him. As Spyro leaped towards Sparx, the golden dragonfly evaded him and came flying towards Cynder and Crystal, forgetting about them as he tried to stop. "Oh no, oh no, OH NOOOOOOOOOOO…" Barely stopping in time to avoid them as Cynder took her claws and swiped while Crystal jabbed her head up. Confused as they looked up when they saw him on the left side.

"Sneaky little thing," Cynder was annoyed by this. She then jumps up and tries to grab Sparx but the golden Dragonfly quickly evaded her leap and was buzzing away while screaming. As he buzzed away, Cynder reached a paw out; Sparx's eyes grew wide as a fist was formed. "Come here you little Dragonfly."

Sparx gulped, "Oh crap… _She is going to hit me."_

 _I'm not going to hit him, I'm going to scare him_ , Cynder thought. It would have hurt him anyway. Dragonflies have strong skin, and they're way stronger than what you think and see from them.

Spyro came running for Sparx, but he didn't even close to the fast dragonfly. Of course, they were slow until Cynder and Crystal did surprise attacks on him. The mud hindered them and the thick-growing grass would wrap itself around their legs like a Kraken's tentacle would do as it attacked a ship. Sparx, who knew how to fly and was always doing it, wasn't even fazed by what was going on. The dragons didn't even mind, for the most part, but they could never catch that Dragonfly. Oh, how they wished they could fly, floating above the world like a dream, be like an eagle to soar all day - then they could always win when they play games with Sparx. But they weren't going to let anything - well try - to ruin their fun, so they allowed the pang of remorse to slip away and be replaced with happiness.

"Never catch me this time, I know you won't at all black girl," Sparx teased her - by some miracle, she won last time. Sparx flew up above them and before they knew it, he was long gone and the sun's glare was making the golden glow from Sparx be hidden.

Spyro and Cynder stood up on their hind legs as Crystal climbed the tree, they were trying to look around. Sparx had this quality for completely disappearing under a blink of an eye when they were playing with him, something not even the dragons could pull off due to them not knowing their powers. Spyro looked around and saw nothing until a gold light was seen behind the tree. He smiles subtly, pretending he didn't even noticing him, and nudged Cynder, who smiled as winked towards Crystal. While they were trying to get him, he hide himself again while they were distracted. Sneaky as Cynder said and it was true.

As they were looking around, Crystal noticed a faint glow from behind some large, white mushrooms that were about the size as Shine, who is half the size of Ignitus due to his muscle mass. Sparx must have noticed Crystals because he flew behind one of them and hid there. " _Spyro, he's behind the mushroom. See if you can get him while I jump after him and Cynder jumps from behind the mushroom_ ," she said mentally.

 _Got it_ , Spyro received the message and nodded.

 _I got the message as well_ , Cynder walked over to the mushroom and got low to the ground. Spyro walked around the mushroom but stopped where Sparx couldn't see him. Sparx was trapped because now Spyro is behind him while not making a noise, Crystal is in the tree and ready to jump while Cynder is ready to jump.

"I see you my little glowing friend," Spyro said, Sparx jumped when he heard his voice. He grabs his chest as Spyro walked closer.

"Giving me a heart attack, damn it, don't do that," Sparx complained as he got his breath back. "Nice try." Sparx quickly hovered down to the ground, but was startled when Cynder jumped from behind the mushroom. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" He quickly flew away, just barely avoiding her.

"Damn…," Cynder said as she landed on her four paws. "Come on," she said as she chased after Sparx, but hid behind the tree while Cynder was distracted due to Sparx flew in circles to make her go dizzy. She moaned as her head started to spin and her vision become blurry. She stops moving her head and her vision slowly, but surely, comes back. "Oh, my head is warped."

Spyro then got an idea and walked over to the tree, as he got closer, he saw the glow start to dim down. "I see you my glowing friend." Sparx looked from his hiding place and sees Spyro is smiling.

"Seeing and catching are two differing things, a-big boy," Sparx teased, revealing himself from the tree but before they could even try to catch him, he darted away.

Their home, in a small clearing, was surrounded on every side by different types of mushrooms - blue, red, white, green, brown, and many other colors - too thick for even a Dragonfly to squeeze through. At the edge of the clearing was a hill leading elsewhere, and that was where Sparx went in an attempt to avoid them like always.

"Yeah, you better run," Spyro yelled after him, laughing as he started to chase them. "We're coming..." Sparx turns around and sees Spyro is gone out of thin air.

"Where did-," Sparx then sees a shadow getting bigger and bigger around him. He looks up and sees Spyro jumped and coming straight to him.

"Here's Johnny," Spyro yelled, which caused Sparx to react with a scream. Spyro opened his claws but Sparx was gone. "Oh fuck..." Unable to control himself, he lands on his stomach while sliding until he gets in water. He gets up and rushes over to Cynder. They see Sparx is looking at them with a taunting look. "Come on, let's get that little dragonfly." Spyro and Cynder then rushed after Sparx.

Cynder and Spyro paused for a moment, thinking as they began to run up the slope. Crystal jumps out of the tree and lands next to Spyro. "Okay, let's get that annoying gnat," she said as Cynder and Spyro quickly ran after Sparx. "Wait up!" She charged to catch up to them, as she caught up, they heard Sparx laughing his mouth off like he did when he wants to make a point of comedy. Sure they were allowed to have free reign of the Swamp, but they had boundaries set due to Flash and Nina found out about their 'play time' three years ago. As soon as Spyro and the others were big enough to wrestle with frog weeds and not get any serious injury, Flash and Nina turned them loose and the children were happy to explore the whole of their small world they never seen before. They were allowed to do anything they wanted to do but they had to follow the rules.

One, no going through any of the northern and eastern exists. Sure the swamp was so thickly filled with many mushrooms that looked like they were overgrown due to fertilizer, but it was nearly impossible to get through unless you had to follow the overgrown, abandoned paths. One of the paths, which Shine was close to, was located to the right and the other one was made of three paths that led to nothing but a dead end.

Two, frogweeds can and will swarm anyone if they get even two seconds of a chance. If that had happened, the three young dragons must grab Sparx and run, because they are not strong enough if twenty or more frogweeds. But if toad weeds came, they had to run no matter what because of the poison they had in their leaves.

Three, never go exploring the old snake skeleton, not even go near it. Sure it was part of their home but Flash and Nina feared that they might go in and get killed before Shine would take them to the Temple.

As long as they didn't break those rules, which they didn't for the most part, they lived a blessed life free of hindrance. Sure Flash and Nina made it clear - trust is something you earn, and you earn it by following all the rules unless the rules declare you to break any rules. You lose trust by breaking the rules. And when you lost trust, you're not allowed to do things like go wander the swamp or play outside. Something they didn't want to do, so they followed the rules as best as they could without curiosity get to them.

The dragons didn't always follow the third rule though, every bone and nerve in their little bodies screamed at them to listen. Sometimes within the night when everyone is sleeping, they would wake each other and would steal away from the clearing. Like a ghost, they swept over the ground, never making a single noise as they made their way through the swamp. When they got there, they could feel something that they didn't know what it was - it felt like fate was pulling them.

They don't know why they were drawn to that huge skull. Perhaps it was simply the enigma about it at all. Flash and Nina didn't explained, never told them why they weren't allowed in it. It's like telling a child to forget about something and don't explain to them why, all it does is make them want to rebel and do it more. They didn't like sneaking around behind their adopted parents backs… They trusted them, trusted that they were going to follow the rules, not lie or do anything wrong. They felt guilt, no doubt about that, and the fact they didn't say a single word they were technically lying about it but it just made it worse on them.

But that snake, it was pulling them for some reason, like how the moon does with the ocean to create tides. They just didn't know how to say _no_ to their minds to make them stop going. Sure it was easy but their curiosity got the better of them. They couldn't stay away from the skull because of several things that went through their little minds. Like how did the snake get here, why did it die so close to their home, or why there was something behind it that felt like it was lost for ages. The desire to unravel that enigma just grew more and more powerful by the second. But they didn't have the nerve to go in it's mouth and explore what was behind it. Hell, they didn't even dare touch it. That is about to change.

Anyways, they soon approached something they called the Tunnel - even thought it wasn't classified as a Tunnel; only a part path was. But no matter what, the mushrooms on either side blocked out every big of the warm sun, so it rather seemed like it. The Tunnel was not large but is average size for the area. The path cut off where a veered straight down into a ditch filled with no more than ankle-high water. Brown water due to the mud and dirt that came in and all the destruction that the part of the Silver River that was outside of the Swamp has endured for the years - meaning the filth would sometimes come down stream. Sure the water stand but when it was time for the Silver River to be purged, the water would come down like a tide rushing over an island. Today, it was standing water, and that meant young mosquitoes would often come down to investigate. The Dragons would have to race out due to those mosquitoes would be sneaky - like Sparx, but not all the way - and find a way to get past their scales so they can have the blood. Their bites stung and itched due to the type of mosquitoes they were, Swamp Belly Mosquitoes. Above the water, roots from the all the great mushrooms stuck out of the packed dirt, tangled and old but not very supportive of their own weight as some of them looked like they were about to fall.

As Cynder and Spyro rushed towards narrowed path, they stopped as they saw the roots started to fall. But Crystal kept on going until it was too late.

Crashed into the ground, she looks up and sees that the roots 'jinxed' her. She hated that about the roots, when something light as a feather lands on them, they automatically start to fall down. And after a while they would return back to their proper position. She looks around and sees three ledges, so she jumps up and lands next to Spyro. "Fuck them…," she said.

Sparx turns around with a big smile on his face, he was just asking for them to cross. "What's the matter little Dragons, you can't fly? Oh, that's right; you walk, run, charge everywhere. Mm, that's too bad," he called out as he easily flew over the mass of the roots. "Come and get me, slow pokes." He laughs until Spyro slams his paw in the dirt.

"You're toast when we catch you," Spyro yelled.

"What?"

"You're so toast."

"Wha-"

"SHUT UP," Spyro said immediately in a yell. Sparx jumped back in complete shock.

Usually they would have jumped into the water and climbed up to the other side, but this time they were going to do it more daring and wanted to save time because when Sparx saw them move, he hovered over a mushroom. They ran, and ran as quickly as they could across the roots, side-by-side-by-side, nimbly jumping over the frequent inequalities. The roots broke under their weight, but they made it just before Cynder was about to fall into the water as the last root broke under her.

Sparx looked up as he laid on the mushroom. "Slow pokes finally came…," he puts his head down but then jerks it back up. "SLOW POKES FINALLY CAME!? Oh no…" Sparx flew right as Spyro tried to tag him. He turned and flew backwards, facing them as they stalked forward, in order to call out more taunts. Their faces contorted as a frog weed ambled up behind him. He looks up as he hears the "ribbit" from it, right when he turned his head and grew wide eyed, the Frog Weed jumped up but Sparx quickly dodged it.

Frogweeds were… well, frogs that are basically weeds due to genetic problems. They literally looked like they were living weeds, perfect camouflage. Four red, long arms sticking out of their sides, like the roots the Dragon encountered, and the same number of feet so they can waddle and hop slowly around the swamp. They are lot less slower than a Toadweed. Their round stomach area was green. All they lacked as a face, having only an ever-open mouth with a long white - sometimes red - tongue sticking out comically. They occasionally croaked like frogs, and their singing could be heard when dusk came, it was beautiful to hear them but they were also annoying when there are more than five singing at the time.

"Um, Sparx, look -," Cynder raised a claw to point at the frog weed as it got ready to attack again.

"Ah, must be tough to lose all the time, you worthless - AAH," Sparx screamed as the Frogweed lashed out the long, sticky frog-like tongue and caught Sparx. It pulled Sparx in one pull, swallowing him. It then started to jump up and down like a madman was high on drugs. "Please... stop... this... thing...," Sparx said as he tried to not hit the sides.

 _Oh, no_ _,_ the Dragons thought in unity.

"Alright, let me out of here you overgrown fungus…," Sparx said from the frog weed's stomach, it was muffled. "Er, Spy, Cyn, Crys? Forget all that stuff I just said and had said in the past. Lend me a hand, will ya, guys?" The voice got more and more muffled but they could just barely make out what he said.

Cynder snorted and said in a stilted voice, "I dunno, Sparx, frogweeds have to get have to get food too - although I have to wonder if you taste as terrible as your uncle jokes."

"I got to admit that is really cold," Spyro said with a grin of pleasure. Cynder smirked as the Frogweed jumped up and down until Spyro quickly stomped, making the frogweed stop jumping by the sudden sound and vibration frequencies in the ground.

After a while the Frogweed started jumping again, forcing Sparx to hit the sides of if it everytime it landed. " **SPYRO, WHACK THE MOTHERFUCKER, NOW** ," Sparx cursed and yelled so loud, the Frog Weed started to jump up and down like crazy. Crystal turned to her more merciful twin for support. "Do something! I'm your buddy… My wings are getting moldy. And, oh yeah… if I don't return to the house with you, mom and dad will kill you for leaving me out here. And if you don't get me out before I find my way out, I'll tell mom and dad about your little adventure you had three years ago when I get to the house!"

The three Dragons sighed as they walked up to the Frogweed. As they came close to the frog weed, it stopped jumping and turned towards them with the tongue ready for another attack. They unceremoniously hit it in the stomach - weak spot that Nina said 'Their stomachs are the softest things on them, and that is where they are weak.' Sparx came flying as the frog weed sunk back in the ground with a painful moan. After a while, Sparx hit Spyro's chest before sliding to the ground, while in the meantime the frog weed finally wailed and retreated into the safety of the ground.

"Ugh, now I smell almost as bad as you," Sparx muttered, picking himself from the ground. "Oh hoo-hoo, and that's pretty bad in my book. See you later, sucker!" He grinned and flew as Spyro tried to tag him. "Never, never learn. Never, never change. Those three, the fool who kill my time. Those three, the fool among us all. Forever ever stupid. Forever ever doomed of dumbness. Consumed by playing to their last breath. They light their way to a dust death."

"Oh no you don't," Crystal hollered as she jumped up. Sparx screams as a purple blur is seen but he quickly flies away. Crystal lands on her four paws but looks around. "Damn it."

"So much for gratitude," Spyro said, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, we got to get him before he get too angered at him or he gets lost," Cynder said as she charged with Crystal. Spyro rolled his eyes again and went after them.


	4. Chapter 4: With a Complicated Conclusion

**Chapter 4: With a Complicated Conclusion**

Heading forward at an almost leisurely pace, Spyro and his dragon friends came across brittle greenish-brown vines that blocked off the path. Cynder had attempted to slip through much like Sparx had done seconds before, but didn't have quite as much luck as the dragonfly did and thus got tangled.

"Um, Spy… a little help please," she asked, pulling at the vines was fruitless in any attempt to get herself free. One was wrapped around her wrist while two others were wrapped around her legs. She was suspended in the air by more vines that held fast to her other waists. It was like the sun-baked vines had a mind of their own but were ready to break at any given minute. Spyro cut the vines with an ivory claw and she dropped to the ground. "Thanks."

"No problem," was the absentminded reply; Spyro had spotted Sparx and quickly followed him as the Dragonfly disappeared around a corner. "Where are you?"

Just as Spyro turns the corner, Sparx quickly hides behind a tree and grabs two leaves. He just waited for Spyro to turn around and when he did, Sparx quickly jumped up with the leaves on the back to make him look like a giant bat was there. Spyro quickly stumbled to the ground and was frozen in fear. "Got you," Sparx said as he saw Spyro turned around and gave a murderous glare. "Hey, now; we are buddies, right? We play games together and do everything together right? We have our cards ready for that, right?" Spyro quickly got up on his feet and started to go in a charge position like a bull. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Spyro quickly went up to Sparx and nearly tagged him - meaning Sparx quickly got out of the shock and flew over his head. "You little bastard."

"Yeah, nice try. So close, but yet so far," Sparx laughed as he flew away from him.

Crystal and Cynder ran into a little clearing, while Sparx was being chased by Spyro. "Holy fucking…" BAM! Sparx hit the wall face first while trying to avoid Spyro. "Ouch…" Spyro was stunned at what happened.

"Sparx," he asked as he walked closer to him. "You okay?" Spyro lifts his paw and gently puts the Dragonfly in his paw. "Don't be dead… please…" He puts his ear next to Sparx's head and hears something. "Good, you're alive."

Sparx's eyes shot open as he smiled. "And yet the chubby couldn't say 'tag, you're it'," Sparx said as he flew away. Spyro's jaw was dropped as he thought Sparx was passed out. "Catch up or give up, sucker." Sparx flew faster and faster as he got behind another tree.

"What happened," Cynder asked with a confused expression.

"Sparx is what happened," Spyro said as he pointed at the giant trees. He took one steep and four frog weeds greeted the young dragons. "Oh no…" Sure they knew what to do but when it came to two or more, they had to run. "We have to get Sparx but we can't do that with this fungi here." He looked around and grabbed fallen branch from one of the trees and swung it, but one of the frogweeds quickly grabbed a hold of it with its tongue and swallowed the branch whole. "That's not good."

As the Frogweeds jumped up, a light halo ring it one of them. The frogweeds stopped where they were at and Shine quickly glided in front of them. "Go, now," he ordered. As two of the frog weeds tried to attack Shine with their tongues, Shine quickly rolled to the right and grabbed one of them before swinging the overgrown plant-like animal into the other frog weed that attacked. He then looked over his shoulder and saw the young dragons didn't move one inch. "I said GO!" As he talked to the Spyro's group, all four of the frog weeds quickly jumped and tackled Shine, he just smiled as a light beam was charging in his mouth. He opens his mouth and a big beam of pure white light obliterated the frogweeds.

"Those things are as annoying as that Dragonfly you are playing with," Shine joked, getting a crooked half-grin from the young dragons. "Leave, or I'll tell your parents all about this."

"We can't leave…," Cynder countered. "We have to get that Dragonfly and bring him home or we are all dead." Shine grunted when he heard that - Cynder rebelled him but with a good reason.

"Fine, but you better hurry," Shine said as he flew up in the air and grabbed a hold of a tree branch that is sturdy enough to hold him. "I'll still be watching you."

As the young dragons ran in the passages, sweeping through long shadows spotted with little patches of light, the occasional pool of water splashing under their little paws, they couldn't help but notice with trepidation that they reached at the end of the path - at the snake's skull where they were not allowed to be at. Surely Sparx would stop before they reached it… right? Wrong.

Sparx was waiting from them, he hovered over the small rock in the middle of the area and smiled at them, barely an arm's length away. Spyro picked up the pace and sprinted forward, faster and faster - almost there he was getting closer, just a few more feet - and then skidded to stop so suddenly, throwing himself back. A pile of dirt formed right in front of him. Pupils constricted into minuscule dots, staring up with complete fear and shock. _Oh no, the s-s-snake's head_ , he thought to himself.

Sparx had flown up to the forbidden snake skull, right between two of it's teeth - just floating with crossed arms and a big grin.

Spyro didn't know what was going on, all he knew was Sparx was between the teeth, didn't know that the Dragonfly did it on purpose. He had lead them towards the skull so as to tick them inside, to break the rules. To them, this was very shocking. They knew what they had been doing was no better, sneaking about, but they had never actually gone into it nor did they want to plan to. Besides, a little curiosity - well, more than that really - couldn't help them, but to directly and purposely disobey Flash and Nina… is something that they didn't want to do.

When they were just young, their mind was just limited to 'That isn't fair' or 'that isn't right', and everybody else was expected to follow along. They knew nothing in the world, where rules were broken and all 'fairness' was just thrown out of the window. When things that weren't right happened, they just happened and you couldn't do a thing to change it… or can you?

"Hey, that's cheating. We're not allowed in there," Spyro exclaimed aggressively as he softly growls at Sparx, his voice nearly cracking in fear. He knew as well as the others what Sparx was trying to do, they were trying to resist. "We can't go in there because of mom and dad would kills us."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Sparx pointed at them. "And shame on you."

"For what? Following the rules," Cynder said.

"As, pfft. Excuses, excuses. Catch up or give up chunky," Sparx taunted with a wave of goodbye before flying in the mouth with an evil laugh.

Cynder looked at Spyro, surely not even he would want to go, but he had to because even though he was the second oldest, he had to get Sparx out of there. Spyro was supposed to be the responsible one; the level-headed guide who never did anything wrong unless he grew curious. But he only gave her a reassuring look, she sighed as he went up to the head and started breaking the teeth with his head and tail. As he broke two of the teeth, Cynder and Crystal were astonished, even Shine was - even though he was not seen by their eyes. "Come on," he said as he opened the jaw by lifting the skull's head open.

Besides, a rebellious fire had always burned in them, this time it shone brighter than ever before now. So, with a sigh and a pricking conscience, Cynder allowed her curiosity to get the best of her. She jumps over the jaw that is on the ground and picks a stick that is taller than her but tall enough to hold the jaw. "Spyro, move out of the way…," She places the stick where Spyro was as he moves away, "… now." Spyro let go of the jaw, and saw it fall on the stick but stay as the stick didn't break. Crystal comes in and looks around.

"Wow, what did this thing eat," she asked.

"Don't know but we have to find Sparx," Cynder rushed out as Spyro walked away. Crystal saw this and quickly ran after them.

As they followed Cynder - who can see in the dark due to her emerald eyes are from Shine's mother, Nova; who can also see in the dark - they could hear running water and soft splashes in the pools. They looked around warily back through the gaps between the fangs towards home. They feared when Flash and Nina would find out, but the two older Dragonflies didn't suspect a thing for now, but that probably won't last so they had to hurry up.

Shaking his head, Spyro turned and ran to catch up with Cynder, same with Crystal, wading through what they hoped was standing water. They ignored their consciences, who was now scream a metaphorical head off. Danger, it yelled out, Red light - don't proceed! Must return before too late. _Turn back. Turn back. Turn back! Turn BACK! TURN BACK!_ Smoothing the voice, it continued to scream but they kept plodding along.

The snakes' so-called stomach - due to no flesh and organs - smelled, frankly, rotten - every breath they took in was sickening and nearly made them expel contents of their lunches. Years of death and decay has caused the stench and being closed off made the smell worse because it won't leave until more years went by. The snake's rib cage and it's thick scaly hide - well parts of it because it wasn't full decayed - were still intact. As they walked through, they felt the deathly salience in the silent body, a feeling that was a mix of fear and awe came over them. They shivered when they heard the unmistakable sound of Frogweeds. They knew they were close. It was so cold all of a sudden and knew the frogweeds want to be somewhere that is cold.

"Where's that little gnat gone now," Spyro wondered aloud, breaking the silence. Cynder and Crystal glanced at him uneasily; same dread that seemed to wrap itself around them like their blankets didn't have any effect on him. It's like he didn't fear anything all of a sudden. Shine comes from behind and shoots a light orb that floats above the ground. "Where did you…"

"I saw everything," Shine said as he walked. The light orb followed him. "If you are scared of this, then you should follow."

Cynder and Crystal nodded but then jumped up, it would seem that they were about to break through the roof, when they heard echoing through the small chamber from Sparx's voice. "Hey has anyone seen three giant, one black and two purple, things around here? I seem to have lost mine…"

Shine stopped where he was at and chuckles, Spyro and Cynder laughed as Crystal just grunted. That made their fears go to rest. "Annoying little bastard," Shine mumbled. The four of them then raced after Sparx. When he saw them charging, he gasped and shot away, gone in less than a second.

"Get over here, you glow stick," Cynder yelled with Crystal, paws splashing in the water as they followed Spyro, Shine was just walked behind in a normal pace and shot another light orb as the old one died. Deeper and deeper into the snake, they rushed after Sparx.

Spyro and Cynder only paused to slip under a vast of tangle of vines that had grown over part of the snake's stomach, but other than that, they never stopped out of the relentless chase - not even for a breather - to catch Sparx. They were absolutely determined to get him now, he had taken them this far, and darn it, they weren't going to let him get one chance to get away without being tagged by someone!

The tail of the snake was missing; instead, its body seemed to have been sliced off, as if an ax-wielding giant had come down upon it with full wrath. At the end of the snake was a small clearing, with an island in the Swamp cut off from all other parts, with only a cliff at the far side of it.

Spyro saw the movement before anyone did and they locked onto it a moment later, but Sparx, who was flying backwards to face us, did not see it at all. Shine narrowed his eyes as he got in battle stance.

"You know, this is getting a little boring…," Sparx complained but just as he turned around to continue his rush forward, he came face-to-face with… an Ape. Cynder and Crystal jumped back as Shine quickly jumped up and unleashed light halos towards the Apes.

"It's the Guardian of Light," the Ape screamed as he put Sparx in a small cage. "Get Shine now. He can get us the location of where the other two guardians are at." Shine was amused by the plan because it was flawed, there is no way they could hold him back from the leader.

"I don't think so," Shine smirked, the Ape looked at Shine with fear in his eyes and quickly shot a crossbow but Shine stopped the bolt from hitting him. The young dragons and Sparx just looked up with a shocked and awed faces. "Oh that's not going to work." He swipes his tail towards the Ape and quickly slams it on the Ape's head. "Hand over the Dragonfly, NOW," his voice became more threatening as he put more pressure on the Ape's skull.

As the Ape grabs Shine's tail, five little apes come out and start attacking Shine. Shine lifted his tail and flung the leader away from him… didn't care as long as the leader was gone, Shine had some breathing room.

"Sparx, Shine…," the young dragons said in unity. Spyro quickly jumps down and head butts a small ape, sending it sliding towards Shine, who returned a favor by putting his five claws in the ape's body. Blood gushed out as Shine then threw him to the island's wall, killing it instantly.

"Get them," the leader said as he retreated deeper in the Swamp.

"Get behind me," Shine demanded as his eyes changed from blue to pure black. The young dragons did what they were told and Shine quickly put his wings around them. The apes saw this and quickly ran as Shine unleashed a Light Fury. As the light rays came down, light halos came from the ground and acted as a ground saw, sawing the Apes in every direction. Then finally, an explosion suddenly came. As the light dissipated, they saw the apes were all burnt to a crisp.

The leader then jumps down to the cliff with very good astonishing acrobatics. Now that he was standing completely still, Shine then took note of his appearance and was disgusted. The ape, whatever you want to call it because it looked like it was half bear as well, had dirty grey fur covered in some sort of leather armor. His face was ugly, gaunt, white, with small squint eyes, glaring at them from their hollows, sunken deep into its skull. There were red and blue as well on his face like a baboon.

The Ape spoke up; its voice was so rough, it would destroy glass, its drawling speech lacked grammar. "I though all-a you guys was gone but only three." His tone was a thoughtful murmur. But what did he mean…? Cynder and Crystal looked at Shine while Spyro busted out of Shine's protection.

"Let him go, he is innocent," Shine said as he removed his wings from the other two dragons. "He done nothing to you, so why bother? Either way, I'll kill you for disrupting the peace of this place. Let him go, now." The leader laughed at Shine as he grabbed a stick of dynamite. "You want to be like that…," Shine shot a light halo at the dynamite just as the Ape threw it. When the halo it the dynamite, the explosion occurred and knocked the ugly creature to the wall behind him. "I'll play your game as Dragon versus Ape. I won't ask again, let the Dragonfly go."

"You miserable coward, let me go," Sparx threatened, angrily shaking his fists. "Listen to that giant reptile right now."

The Ape chuckled, amused by this event, then pointed at the Dragons. "Don't let them get away!"

Shine looked around in confusion, wondering who the comment was directed at. "You're an idiot, I just kill your small apes, what makes you think that I'm going to let you win," Shine smiles. Then, seemingly out from nowhere, more of the Apes emerged - some slipped from the shadows surrounding them, while others emerged at the top of the cliff and jumped down. Though some of them had orange-brownish or grey pelts and wore different armor, they seemed to only be small clones of their presumed leader. Shine then grabs one of the small Apes with his mouth and does an arc slam on it. After seven slams, the Ape screamed in pain before turning into gems. "Young ones, get ready to fight… Including you sis."

Cynder looked up and shed a tear as she found out that she is related to Shine. But that ended when more Apes came. Spyro and Cynder got in fighting stance as they faced their enemies, ready to fight for Sparx. They would never let them get away with him or away with this. No one kidnaps people and lives to tale the tell.

One of the creatures laughed, his sickly yellow eyes flashing, as if he didn't consider them worthy opponents. But Shine quickly cut that Ape's throat with his claw. The Ape jumped away before the claw barely touched his throat. Now that the Ape was distracted, Cynder took the chance to dive in, instinct taking over her body. One clawed paw cut open his chest with a single swipe, while the other slit his throat and cut the lifeline and jugular vein. He grabs his throat as blood was rushing and squirting out, he lifts one hand but falls down on the ground before giving up his ghost. Cynder remained there, shocked at what she did; her first kill. She only came to when he… died. Blinking as shock overtook her, she stood motionless and looked at her claws in astonishment, ivory claws streaked with redness. She… killed him… And he bled… She became to understand more of life. Some things in life you have to do, and she had to do it to protect Sparx and her friends.

She wasn't used to blood; just the sight of her own made her shudder. And she definitely wasn't going to get use to… killing living creatures. Frogweeds and toad weeds, they didn't really count because they couldn't die that easily because they would bury themselves back in the ground, and she had never even been able to chase down what little lift there was in the Swamp, so she lived off the more abundant fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms that grew radiant and rampant around there. She wasn't a born killer, but yet she was because of the Prophecy of the Purple and Black Dragon. This just stupefied her… It was all happening too fast… here she is fourteen years old with Spyro and Crystal and she just killed her first Ape.

She was taken off-guard as one of the creatures was suddenly on her back, and it bit her. Yelling out in pain, she threw the monster off and, groaning, she touched her head. When she brought her paw back, it was colored with her own blood. Now she was angry. Turning to the one who had bitten her, sitting dazed on the ground, she bit it in return. Immediately she pulled back, coughing and spitting out dirty fur. Yuck! Those things tasted terrible; a mix of dirty fur, mud, bugs, and mold. She certainly refrained from biting after that. She then grabs the Ape by the throat and tosses him in the air.

As the Ape was about to land, Shine quickly swiped his claws five times at the ape to keep it in the air, then grabbed it by the arm in his mouth and flew high in the air. "What are you doing," the Ape asked with fear. But it was too late as Shine was hurling the ape with him back to the ground. Shine jumped off the Ape and saw a crater made. The other Apes looked at Shine and back away as Shine stabbed his axe-type tail blade into his enemy's chest and sliced up to the head, killing it as the top part of it's body was split.

The awful taste in her own mouth was the least of her problems. Wave after wave of the Apes were coming after them; they were fighting for their lives, a race for survival as they began to overwhelm them. It was almost becoming impossible from then. The leader began to throw more dynamite down at them, a red stick hit Shine, but he threw it back but the explosion - due to the fuse was short by the time it was thrown - exploded at the cliff, shaking it as the leader tried to regain his balance. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…," he said while he tried to gain his balance.

Crystal then jumped on Shine's back and started climbing. "Hey, watch it," Shine said. But it was too late as Crystal just jumped off his head.

As she was close of getting to the leader, a dynamite come in her mouth and exploded; sending her flying to the wall. She had never felt pain like this before. Her whole body screamed, protesting as she slammed into the cliff and fell down. Her vision flickered and dimmed, and her head was pounding like her brain was about to jump out. Spyro ran over to her, yelling something that distorted in her, perhaps her name. She felt his paw on her shoulder, pushing her, felt him grab her paw and hauled her to her feet. She could hardly stand and just about fell right back down, but Spyro grabbed her with both of his paws. Shaking her head, her sight returned back to normal, but her head continued to pound and her body ache from the impact and explosion. It was a miracle that she survived. As she leaned on Spyro, and he led her to the middle, she couldn't help but wonder how on earth she wasn't knocked unconscious. A miracle by the Ancestors.

That didn't matter right now, though. The leader's little soldiers lay littered around them, every last one of them dead and turned to gems and the leader himself was focusing on Shine and Sparx. Sparx had been yelling his lungs and head off throughout the whole battle and everyone could tell the creature was getting irritated.

"RELEASE HIM, OR ELSE…," Shine narrowed his eyes and gave a loud grunt to scare the leader off. The leader just looked at him and backed away.

"Ah, ta ta ta," the Ape said as he grabbed a hollow dynamite. "Lets try not to blow this out of proportion."

"You think you can get away of disruption of the peace?"

"Yeah."

"I let you in a little secret, I'll let you live so you can tell your 'master' what is going on. And I use the term master very, very loosely."

"Whatever," the Ape said as he started to shake the cage. "Hope you taste good," he said as he looked at Sparx. "Grilled or fried? Probably grilled would taste better."

"Let me out of here and fight me like a… thing…," Sparx said.

"Ape," Shine corrected him.

"Whatever you are. You pathetic wretch whore," Sparx exclaimed, grabbing the bars and shaking them with his strength.

The leader jumped off the cliff and slammed Sparx's cage on the ground so hard that Sparx hit his head on both the ceiling and floor; he was on the verge of being knocked out. "Nyah, ENOUGH," the ape growled. "I've had about enough of you!" He raised a foot, intending to stomp on the cage to kill Sparx.

"Sparx look out," Spyro yelled. Shine threw two light orbs from his paws, but the Ape just raised his hand. As the orbs were about to hit the Ape, they just stop and flew up. The Dragonfly dazed looked up and saw the Ape was about to stomp. The young dragons felt Spyro's panic and desperation that resounded clearly in his voice.

For the first time in any of their lives, they were truly afraid, completely and utterly terrified. And, too, they felt helpless - Sparx was going to die and they couldn't do a thing about it. Despair welled up inside of them as they faced the fear in head on, but anger too was boiling to the breaking point. How dare this Ape come into their home, attack them, and kill their brother-friend!

The next few seconds seemed to be in slow motion, they could feel themselves tensing as their throats burned, not like a sore throat but literally burning, like fire was residing in them. No longer in control, something was about to drive them, it was going to take control of them. They exhaled sharply, but it wasn't air that came out of their mouths. It was fire, a wave of it that came rushing out like a river, leaving their mouths tingling as the flames left on the roofs with pain.

As the waves of fire and black fire that had burst out of their mouths - it was strange but Cynder had dark fire - burned the leader and stopped his foot in the middle of its journey. He was so surprised that he fell backwards and landed on the ground, just laying there with a stupefied shock. The young dragons had just barely saved Sparx's life from the Ape's foot.

Shine walked up to the Ape and pinned him down with his paws, claws in the ground. "Tell your leader, the prophecy has come." The Ape just looked at Shine with wide eyes and feared what he said came true. "Tell Ember it is time to lose by the mighty ones. Leave and never return or you will see my wrath." He unpins the Ape then walks away. "This is your first and ONLY warming!" The Ape was shocked at this and quickly jumped up on the cliff.

The young dragons started at each other with a dumbfounded expressions, staring back at each other. Their mouths slowly opened as if they wanted to say just one word, but there were no words to describe what just happened, it was astonishing. They just breathed fire and shadow fire. … They had just breathed different types of fire!

"Wooo…," Sparx said slowly, just as surprised as the others were. "What that fire?" Gripping the bars of the cage, he stared at them.

Meanwhile, the leader was panting, his chest was just singed black, they noticed, a fact that made them grin in triumph and relief. "Take care of them! I've got to report to Ember," he shouted to his henchmen, turning and running like a maniac out of sight into the swamp.

The last few of his soldiers jumped from the cliff and slowly approached them, though they did so with a bit of apprehension. All they could do was shake their heads in surprise. This had to be a dream… Strange monsters, fire breathing, some person called Ember, and Shine protecting them with his light attacks? There was no way this could have been even close to real! But it was.

As the moment, though, they put this aside and attacked the creatures with their new-found powers.

"Focus on your enemies," Shine said as he breaths a light version of fire, instead of burning the outside; it burnt from the inside and came to the surface of the apes. "Fire is to be controlled by you, you can't let it control you or you will be lost of both energy and your strength." He flung two apes in the air and quickly slammed them down to where Spyro is at, who breathed fire and clawed the two apes to shreds.

They were a bit shaky at first, scared to release the fire for fear of burning themselves, but it actually didn't take long to get the hang of it for Crystal and Cynder. The creatures that were previously too overwhelmingly strong were now easy to defeat.

Shine took his wing and used it like a shield bash against the last Ape, and when it fallen, Sparx started his yelling on the top of his lungs again. "Get me out of here, you four. I think my wings are singed!"

Spyro, exchanging glances with Cynder and Crystal, knocked the cage away with his horns, opening the bottom slot and freeing Sparx. "You okay," Shine asked. Sparx looked at the Dragons and sighed.

All Sparx did was just stare at them in complete silence, and then they realized the full extent of what happened - and, too, Sparx realized what it meant. This was the last bit of evidence they needed to confirm something they had, perhaps know all along. "Y-yeah, I'm okay. But this changes something right," Sparx asked. "What are they?" Shine ignored the blunt question.

"Shine, what are we," Crystal asked. Shine just ignored her. "What the HELL are we?!"

"You are what I am," Shine said. He looks at the three young Dragons and sighed. "You three are Dragons."


	5. Chapter 5: Leaving Home

**Chapter 5: Leaving Home**

"They breathed fire," Sparx yelled loudly on top of his lungs, and by doing that, the whole world could hear him, waving his arms in the air for the emphasis. Flash and Nina just looked at Sparx then looked at Shine.

"Is he telling the truth," Nina asked. She feared this day would happen.

"Yes, young Sparx is telling the truth," Shine explained. He didn't want to tell them but he had no choice. "And I told them what they were." Flash and Nina were both dumbstruck by this, never in their minds would it be this long and it is time to see their little Dragons leave them.

Cynder wasn't completely sure whether or not they should tell Nina and Flash but having Shine explain the whole situation helped because they trusted that white Dragon for some reason, don't know why. Plus they broke a major rule and if Flash heard about that, it would be hellfire and brimstone on them. But Sparx made up his mind for them same with Shine.

"Sure they broke one of your rules, but Sparx was the one that broke it first and this three young ones were just going to get him out of there," Shine explained the whole disobedience to Flash and Nina. They understood why the three dragons would do that, but now they looked at Sparx with narrowed eyes.

"Great, rat me out," Sparx said. "You must be younger than me if you do that."

Shine looks at him and rolls his eyes, "I'm twenty years old, seven years older than you. I have been watching Spyro, Cynder, and Crystal for thirteen years. And it would be best if you shut that little mouth of yours because it will get you in more trouble than ever before." Sparx gulped when Shine pointed at his tail blade.

"Sorry," Sparx apologized. Everyone was shocked at that.

"What happened," Flash began but couldn't figure out what to ask. "I mean the whole fire part."

"So I'm just about to blow the top off that place by destroying the cage then kick that guy's ass," Shine rolled his eyes as the young dragons just grunted in boredom, gestures Sparx had completely ignored, "when Spyro, Cynder, and Crystal here let out some serious flames, dude. No joke. Flames. From the mouth. Spyro and Crystal's flames were like regular fire, but Cynder's was all black."

"Shadow element," Shine replied. Everyone looked at him. "There are different elements that Dragons use but only three types of dragons can use more than one element. Purple, black, and corrupted ones from birth. Each dragon comes from an egg that is the color of the element. Cynder, yours was black, so that means Shadow but your mother's egg was grey and she too is a shadow Dragon. But unlike her, you have four elements, Poison, Fear, Shadow, Wind. Spyro and Crystal, you have elements as well. In fact, you have all but three, Convexity, Force, and Light. You can learn light from me but it's not going to be easy unless you are related to another purple Dragon."

"Explain the eggs determined our elements," Spyro started.

"Blue is for water, red is fire, green is earth, light blue is ice, yellow is electricity, dark purple - not the color of your egg Spyro and Crystal - is convexity, grey is shadow, turquoise is wind, white is fear, orange is lava, gold is for light, and many other colors for different elements. Whatever the color of the egg, is the element the dragon is going to be. But there are exemptions like two colored eggs. Like mine, mine egg was red and gold. Meaning I have fire and light at the same time. But for you, you have more elements than me."

"Okay, thanks for explaining that."

"Anyway, where was I?" Sparx continued his 'victory' story. "Oh yeah… Next thing I know, Apes come out of nowhere and attack the Dragons here but they held their ground and killed them with fire.

"Well, w-we were just trying to help," Spyro said sheepishly.

"Yeah, well, some help. You nearly turned me to ashes," Sparx crossed his arms indignantly. He hated to admit but he did appreciate their help.

Crystal and Cynder shot Sparx a warning glare. They didn't care about them taking the credit for kill those Apes, but he ought to have been a lot more appreciative about how they saved his life out of the kindness of their hearts. Crystal nearly shuddered just thinking about what had almost happened.

Sparx turned to his parents, ignoring the two dragonesses once again. "Mom, dad, you should've seen them! They came out breathing fi-ya… That's right, fire! Alright? It was crazy!"

Flash and Nina hovered near them; they were sitting outside of the watcher's post. The sun was beginning to set for the day. But even in the dimming light, they could see Flash and Nina exchange glances, not saying a single word. Cynder detected something on their faces… almost like distress. But Flash and Nina didn't want to say anything because they were scared of what might happen.

"You don't believe me," Sparx exclaimed indignantly, crossing his arms before turning to Spyro. "Tell them what happened, Spyro! You have to tell them."

"He's not lying," Spyro said. "One of the creatures there was attacking Sparx, and all four of us, we just got really scared, opened our mouths, and… whoosh flame city. We breathed fire." Spyro was horrible as explaining just what happened and the shock with fear had coursed through him, but it would do.

"It's not that, Spyro," Flash said, glancing at Nina and Shine and scratching the back of his head nervously. "We believe you all, it's just… Your mother and I knew this day would come. We just hoped it would be a long time…" Shine coughs to make Flash rethink what he was saying. "What?"

"Sixteen years, that longer than six years," Shine explained.

"Right…," Flash continued, "We didn't want to tell you until you asked us."

"What day," Crystal didn't like how Flash said it but she wanted to know what was going on.

"The day… when we would have to tell you the truth."

"I'll tell them," Shine said. "Gather around, it's time I told you the short version." Spyro, Crystal and Cynder gathered around Shine and sat down."Sixteen years ago, you were to be hatched in a place called the Dragon Temple in the Swamp. But those creatures you faced attacked the temple. There were seven of us, five guardians and two trainees of become a Guardian. The Fire Guardian took your eggs and left the Temple so that you can be safe. After a long time, he came to the Silver River and placed them down in a cap for them to float. I was tasked to make sure nothing would happen, and for a week, I made sure the eggs were safe." He sighs before getting his breath. "After your eggs hatched, I named you and returned back to the Dragon Temple. There I was tasked to make sure that those Apes didn't find you and to make sure you use your elemental powers. I waited until you three were sixteen and that was the time you showed your elemental powers and fighting techniques. So really you three are not Flash and Nina's children by blood but by adoption in illegal matters due to no paper work."

"So… you-you mean, we have to leave," Spyro's voice resounded with pain. He was sitting down, looking towards the ground, unsure what to think. Shine lifts Spyro's head and smiles.

"Young dragon, yes but you can return to the Swamp after your training. Right now you're needed for training for your elemental powers and fighting," Shine said as he saw a single tear come from Spyro's eye. He brushes it off and sighs. "I'm sorry but that is what is required."

"I'm just glad that Shine is giving you this chance," Nina said. "It's just that you came from somewhere else. Far away, where war rages on and on, and the innocent always seem to pay the price."

"Every decision they ever made will end with death and misery."

Crystal shook her head and stood up. "I… I just need time to think about this…"

Cynder sighed, "I need some time also. I can't think when this is so sudden."

"We understand," Nina and Flash said, it's like they weren't going to stop them.

The young Dragons head down, trudged away as quickly as they could. A few moments later, Crystal starts to go in a sprint, running up the hill. Instead of following the upper path, though, she took a left and headed into a small wooded area that overlooked the clearing. That was where she stopped, dropping flat onto the ground near the cliff as if she just gave up on life and stared blankly into the cold darkness below.

Spyro comes up and sits next to his twin while Cynder lays down beside her. "I just knew before this day; somehow I always knew… Always suspected… But I had pushed that thought in the back of my mind," Cynder said. "Impossible, I had thought. But not as impossible as I had thought before."

"But if we're not dragonflies, and Shine said we were Dragons, why did they hide this," Crystal murmured to Spyro, but he didn't even look at her. He didn't know the answer either and there was no point in asking. All Spyro did was just brushed that question off like it was rhetorical.

Three glows, one red, one blue, and one yellow appeared in the clearing, a few faint lights against the crushing darkness, and Shine walking towards the path. The young dragons just watched the three Dragonflies head towards the house, following another path, until they disappeared into the endless black night. They looked over to see Shine is just standing, with his head bowed like he regretted everything. They felt sorry for everything and now they regret leaving the their adopted family.

The dragons considered approaching them three after that, demanding why they weren't told about this. At first they were angry, feeling like their parents just stabbed them in the back… if they even were their own parents… But after that anger was given time to evaporate, they soon realized they had just been doing what they thought was best for them, something to protect them. And it was the best thing they did, of course. But now they were left with an emptiness, a what-do-I-do feeling that won't go away anytime soon. They felt like for a while and then came to the conclusion to leave soon, but don't know when.

The next few days were quiet. All they did was hardly eat, spent most of their time in silence with each other. They didn't sleep for a while. If anybody had looked up at the area above that clearing they were in, they would have seen four purple eyes and two emerald green eyes gazing stoically back. Crystal told herself all throughout these few hard days that she was a big girl of sixteen, too old to cry, but she soon let go several tears. Spyro and Cynder did the same as they didn't understand what happened. If they hadn't thought this through, they would have been broken down for so long, they would have wish death would end it. It was just devastating, learning their family wasn't even their real family after all these years, they just didn't know what else to do.

Spyro and Cynder did some thinking. They pondered for a long time over their decision, talking quietly to each other for hours on end. They didn't want to do it, but they had to and they knew it - if they didn't do this, it would tear at them for long time, maybe for the rest of their lives. So with heavy hearts, they approached their family and told them what they wanted to do and why.

The three dragons were going to leave. Sure Crystal didn't give her opinion about it, but then again she just didn't talk to anyone, not even to her twin brother with her thoughts. That meant she wanted to do something and leave the past.

Flash and Nina were reluctant to let them leave, but when Shine told them about the promise they made, they had no choice, and not to mention they didn't want us to turn up dead, but still, little choice since Shine's promise. They sadly accepted the young Dragons' request and let them go. They suppose the Dragonflies understood what we were going through and deciding to force them to stay, spend the rest of their lives in the dark, would be worse than allowing them to leave. They were heartbroken when they heard that.

And then the day finally came; the day when it was time for them to go. They wanted to stay, stay with their… adopted family for a little longer, but they knew if they allowed to, they wouldn't go at all. It was now or never; and they quickly chose to do it now.

As the sun danced over the edge of the earth, giving off the last of its bright illuminating light as the day drew to an end. Twilight was coming upon fast. Usually, Spyro and the others would travel by day, but they would need the cover of the night to survive. More of those Apes were bound to be out there.

Shine walks up to where the teenager Dragons are at and sees Flash and Nina were waiting at the path for them. Shine sat down and looked at them, he smiled when he saw backpacks on each of their backs. Food, supplies, and other things that were needed were in the backpacks. Just before they reached it, thought, Sparx flew in front of them and was doing everything he could to make them stay.

"So that's it, huh? Leaving Sparx behind at the old homestead? Not a care in the world… don't look back," he said with coldness within the voice that made their hearts break.

Why didn't he understand? They didn't want to leave him behind… they didn't want to leave at all. But they had to know what they were or else it would have eaten them alive…

"This is your home, Sparx. But I just found out that my home is somewhere out there… and we've got to find it. Besides, we're not leaving you behind, we're just leaving where you belong," Spyro said, saying everything the other two couldn't find the voice to themselves.

Tears sprung into Crystal's eyes and she couldn't hold them back any more. Three fat drops streaked down her face, but how could she have helped it? Everything was going wrong…

"Don't worry about him, you three," Flash, who had witnessed the scene, reassured as he and Nina flew over to us. "You know how hotheaded he can be. You'll see him when you get back."

"I'm hope so," Shine said as he turned around to face the path. "It's sad to lose a family member, even if they don't die. My sister, Spotlight, left six years ago to join a faction called Skylanders."

 _If we get back_ , Crystal thought glumly, closing her eyes to hold back all the tears that were about to form, while Spyro lowered his head sadly. They didn't want to leave with Sparx thinking of us like that.

"Now, now. Keep your head up, your nose clean, and use that breath of your wisely. All gifts come with a price," that was the only advice Flash gave them for that. Cynder shook her head sadly - that couldn't have helped them.

"Don't listen to your father's preaching," Nina said, flying over to them. With one hand she lifted Spyro's head so he might gaze sadly at her and with the other she wiped away the tears from each of their faces. "Just be yourselves. It's all any of us can really do." Flash grunted.

Crystal and Cynder allowed a sad smile to slip on their faces; it was the only thing they could do by reassuring them that they were going to be alright. They were going to miss the family… Miss all those thoughtless, happy days playing in the Swamp, when they didn't have to worry what it is a true Dragon - because what they were was simply themselves. Spyro, Cynder, Crystal the Dragonflies, even if they were an extremely mutated Dragonfly. Except now they were called Dragon, because they just found out they were dragons from some place far from their home, with no biological family to speak of and no place to call home anymore.

Shine looked at the trio and sighed. "You can visit them when you want but not during your training and when you have the face something later on. I would like you to see your family again sometime soon, don't know when. And my offer still stands when winter comes, that they can come up and stay at the Dragon Temple for as long as they want." Spyro and Cynder looked at him while Crystal had her head bowed. "I promise that because if you love your family, you should see them whenever."

"Thank you," Shine bowed his head when Spyro spoke. "When can we leave…"

"We leave after you say your goodbyes. I don't want to rush you but Apes are in the Swamp looking for you."

As the day came to the end, they all said their goodbyes and set off without a single world. Traveling down the worn path, Shine looks at the young dragons and smiles. As he brought his head back to the front, Crystal turns her gaze to back towards the Dragonflies; Flash and Nina were waving and staying there, lingering as they watched the Dragons walk away from their home. After a moment, Nina turned and flew off to go after Sparx. Flash, with one final glance after them, trailed after her. Sighing, she turned her attention to the long road ahead.

"Crystal, you will be okay," Shine said without looking back. Cynder, who is behind him, was shocked at Shine for not looking behind him. Spyro chuckled.

"I'm okay," Crystal lied. Shine didn't want to push the matter at all so he left it as that. Crystal sighed again know that she lied to an elder and it was wrong to do. No matter what she did, pushing it away, it would always come up to her mind.

"How did you know," Spyro asked.

"Because she is behind and not next to me like you two," Shine said with a smile. "You see, Dragons have a good sense of hearing, breathing, smell, sight, touch and emotions. I just used my hearing to find out that she is behind about a yard away. That is three feet to you if you didn't know."

"Glad to know," Spyro said.

 **Two Days later - Sirural Village (near the cave systems that lead to the Dragon Temple)**

They left. They left the only home they had for years and have ever known in search of… something else. Anything else like the Dragon Temple. There were countless things for them to discover, some good, some bad, and all of them life-changing… but what they didn't even know was worse and most terrible thing was waiting for them, deep in the swamp just one more day.

And the legend will begin - well really, it begins now.

Shine and the young dragons walked, side by side, matching each step. The small leather bags was strapped over Spyro, Cynder and Crystal's shoulder and filled with different types of items like food - they didn't know where they were going but Shine was leading them and they thought it would be better safe than sorry to bring something to eat just in case there is nothing to scavenge. Shine understood this because he would stay in the Swamp for many months before returning to Ignitus' cave, which is outside of the temple. For now, it was everything they would need before they get to the Dragon Temple.

Walking with heads down, uncaring of whatever perils might lay, Shine looks at them and frowns. He sighs before seeing Crystal blinked and raised her heavy head as a large shadow passed over them. "Shine, something is here," she stated.

"I know," Shine continued to walk. "Stay close, it might be something you are not ready to fight." He looks around and sees the shadow going over the passage. After a few seconds he stops and looks again. Nothing in sight, like it was just playing with them. Soon they heard a faint laughter echoing, Shine's eyes widen when he realized that it was Apes… "Hurry, now," he whispered to the young dragons.

"Why," Spyro asked.

"Apes," Shine's words made Spyro's eyes wide.

Shine remained silent after that, but Spyro could feel his apprehension as Shine looks uneasily about the area to see movement. Spyro too looked around, a prickle of fear within not only his heart but everywhere else; Shine felt as if something or something was watching them. Turning sharply towards a bush as he heard a crackle, he could have sworn that something was moving, diving back into the depths. "Crystal, Cynder, get behind me. Spyro I want you to relax your mind and focus." Spyro looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Get behind me right now." The young dragons did what they were told, they started to regret leaving the home they were at during night. Shine put on paw down on the ground but then heard more laughter.

Spyro raised up onto his hind legs in an attempt to look for anything, but all the darkness did was shrouded everything around the area. Fleeting shadows washed over them, as if something was jumping over the mushroom-tops and not wanting to be seen. But when Spyro and Crystal looked up, the shadows just stopped. It was quiet… too quiet. Stars and the two moons looking back at them, they didn't see nothing else. Sinister cackles could be plainly heard now, bounding and rebounding over the swamp so that made it hard to find out if only one or many were laughing at the same time.

Cynder sniffed the air, trying to catch a scent of whatever was following and stalking them, but then smelt it, She wrinkled her nose at the smell - the same creature that had attacked them earlier. Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced over to Shine and Spyro; she could tell that Shine was calm while Spyro was more scared than ever before. "Apes are here so now what," she asked rhetorically.

Cynder looked around again, but she didn't and couldn't see what was doing it… Yet she just knew there was something watching them from a distance, waiting to kill the Dragons. The creatures were toying with them. Shine then breathed heavily for a few seconds then unleashed a light orb, once the orb came into the air and floated faintly above his head, they heard screams from the shadows. Shine looked around and found nothing within the lighted area.

When a loud, animalistic howl resounded through the passageway, they lost it. Breaking within a mad dash for survival, they rushed forward leaving Shine behind, our paws pounding on the ground as the laughter got louder and louder. Shine quickly went after them and nearly slipped into a small pool of mud, but undaunted, he scrambled to his feet and continued to search them. He wanted to scream for them, but he knew if he did that he would lead them to his location then the young Dragons, so he stayed silent as the night all for his sharp, heavy breaths. As he ran, he finally got tired of running for nearly fifteen miles non stop with all his strength.

As they ran on and on, that it seemed to go on forever. Even once they were sure they had outrun, they were merely continued sprinting until their little legs ached, sharp pain screaming in their stomach, and they could hardly gasp for air through every bound. Shine finally caught up to the young dragons, panting like he just ran a marathon, they looked around and found that they were in a small clearing. Breathing a sigh of relief, Shine go walked up to the dragons and looked around to see if the enemy was close. To their luck no enemy was spotted, very lucky on their part.

But that wasn't over, not by a long shot. They could tell that it was a new beginning. And in the end, it doesn't even matter. They would have to fall to lose it all but that won't happen because if it was to happen, Malefor would win.


	6. Chapter 6: Friendships Unbroken & Formed

**Chapter 6: Friendship Unbroken & Formed**

Upon catching their breath, Shine carefully looked down the hill. He then motions the young Dragons, seeing them having their legs shaking but saw them start to take a few steps forward into the strange clearing with Shine following them. They knew the Swamp well, but they just left a familiar territory after hearing the Apes around them. Uneasily, they glanced at the tall cliff that were enclosing the small area that held just only mushrooms, not the creatures that had been expected to see staring back down at them.

Crystal took a few steps forward; the moons' light shone unobstructed and very clear to calm them. Peering across the clearing, she spotted two of the more very uncommon mushrooms; large and orange, they spat out odd-smelling steam every few seconds. The hiss as they did so startled her and Cynder. It wasn't until then that they noticed how tense they were; they expected to see those Apes around every corner. Crystal looks up at Shine, as he walked away from the group. His tail sliding on the ground, a little noise was heard but not loud enough to be heard for more than five feet.

Spyro and the little group walked forward, but didn't get far. Three of the very territorial frog weeds, sensing our presence, they climbed out of their leaf-covered burrows. Shine looks at them and quickly unleashes three long spear-like objects at them. Before the group could get very far, Spyro breathed a burst of fire as one of the spear-like objects injected into two of the frogweeds, making an explosion that makes the two frogweeds back in their holes, while Crystal and Cynder swiped at the other with their tails, the unusually sharp ends cutting it open which killed it instantly. They were relieved that at the lack of blood due to frogweeds don't have veins.

Shine walked forward after the battle as the teenagers followed him to a natural ramp that sloped around the clearing and led into another area couldn't see very well. Beside the ramp was what looked like a beetle nest; the sight of it made them tense up as horrible memories rushed back to them. Quickly, though, they shook them off and continue to followed shine. There was no time for that now and it was time for them to know the truth.

Following the narrow path, Shine and Spyro paid little heed to their surroundings and walked right past a type of mushroom they never saw before - pale yellow; which was weird because there wasn't any mushrooms that were pale yellow - grey with glowing red diamonds, some with blue spheres around its top. They didn't notice it at all until it began to shake, Shine quickly stops and unleashed a gigantic fireball at the plant. By the time the fireball hit, the plant already climbed out of the ground, and jumped up in a complete blur. After it landed, it had eight long, flat legs that were sharpened to points at the end, and a face with tiny black eyes, and short, sharp teeth that were bared as them like a predator does when stalking the prey.

Shine's eyes grew wide as he recognized what it was, a bulb spider. They never seen one before, but judging by Shine's expression, he heard about them. They didn't often live near wetter parts of anywhere due to them hating water so much that they would slowly die; so bulb spiders prefer areas that weren't too moist where it's high, dry ground. Nina gave the young Dragons an accurate description of what they looked and how they acted. They weren't particularly powerful, Nina can verify that, but they preferred to use stealth to gain an advantage on unexpected prey and surprise them to death. The spiders would sneak up then snatch them with their sticky tips they had on, and within seconds the prey was in the enemy's stomach and started to be killed by the acid - meaning they eat prey alive and no one knows why.

A shiver ran down their spines and they took a few steps back, Shine stood there as the young dragons looked at him with a shocked expression. A single smile was on Shine's face, as the bulb spider got closer to him, it was hissing venom swiped at him with one of its legs - Shine quickly blocked the attack with his tail and wrapped it around the leg. Everyone was shocked, Shine wasn't coming to be on the menu but he lead himself in a trap… or so they thought. In mere seconds, Shine's tail - and it seemed that it didn't move - quickly threw the spider in the air. All the young Dragons could muster to say was a complete wave of "Wow," after seeing Shine quickly jump in the air and did a heavy slam and he jumps off the enemy before impaling it's chest with the tail blade. Pulling out the blade, a clear, green liquid comes out with some yellow-brownish blood. Cynder and Crystal quickly closed their mouths and tried to stop themselves from vomiting as Spyro was too shocked to do anything.

Shine then looks at the head and starts ripping it to shreds, after a few moments the flesh that was like a sponge was torn off from the top to the bottom. As the yellow liquid came out of it, Shine breathed fire on it, burning it to complete white ash.

 _Gross_ , Cynder thought, quickly turning away and continuing up the passageway. Another spider attacked them but this time, Shine tossed the beast in the air as the three young dragons quickly jumped up like a grasshopper. Once they were in the air, they started to use their fire breaths on it.

"Fire is power," Shine said as he walked away from them. "You need to control it to understand that you can use it without a problem."

As ten minutes of uneventful walking, they reached a chasm. Glancing at each other before warily looking down as the darkness, they could tell that if they jumped, it would be the end. "How are you going to go over this," Spyro asked as Shine quickly jumped in the air and glided to the other side. "Okay."

"To glide, you need to use your wings," Shine stated. "Think of hovering over the ground and then heading towards the position you want." Cynder gave a heavy sigh and glided to where Shine was at. "Good. Okay, come on you two." Spyro and Crystal just exchanged looks and they carefully glided across the gap to the solid ground. Shine smiled as they walked towards him. "Good."

"Gliding," Crystal complained. "What the point of it when we can't fly." All her life, she saw Sparx, Nina and Flash soar while she couldn't soar with Spyro and Cynder. They wanted to do was to fly in the sky.

Looking around, Shine could feel a new presence. "Careful," he cautiously said as he took a few steps. Just then, he saw a flash, and then flying before the Dragons was someone the young ones couldn't be happier to see.

"Oh thank God I found you," Spyro, Crystal and Cynder looked to see Sparx was floating above them. Shine narrowed his eyes as he walked away. "Hey, big guy, don't leave… I need to talk to you."

"In case you haven't noticed, we are in a dangerous zone with Apes following us and in a place where bulb spiders rest," Shine countered but Sparx flew straight to his face and pointed at him.

"No, you stay," Sparx ordered. Shine grunted as he shoved the Dragonfly out of his way. Shine looks at Sparx and shook his head before blowing Sparx away from him. Sparx quickly recovered and came to Shine. "You stay." Shine rolled his eyes.

"Why should I listen to you," Shine asked with venom. He knew what Sparx was like, smartass type person that would get what he wants no matter what.

"Because I'm staying with them," Sparx pointed at the three young dragons, who just flinched when they saw that. Shine narrowed his eyes.

"Not good enough but I don't give a fuck."

"Let him talk," Cynder said as she got close to Sparx. "Why you here?"

"So, ah, me and the old man were chatting, and this whole…," Sparx started but gulped, "belonging thing, you know, came up and we decided that… best friends belong together. Even if three of them are purple and black while having some weight issues." Shine swats Sparx with his tail but Sparx quickly ducks under the blow and gets up to Shine's eyes. "No, down." Shine narrows his eyes but Sparx quickly grabs a small stick and pokes Shine's right eye. "Down… now." Shine quickly grabs the stick and throws it out of Sparx's little hands. "Oh no…"

"Enough of your stupid, rash, harsh, bizarre, unexplainable, undetermined, ignorance, ludicrous actions," Shine said as he rubbed his eye.

"Sorry," Sparx said as he floated down. He takes a deep breath before looking back at his friends, "So yeah, you have weight issues - and it's a joke," he looks at Shine, "white boy." He smiles at him while Shine shakes his head. For once, the young Dragons were glad that Sparx's mischievous grin was giving them something else than irritation and it was happiness. They were more overjoyed about that so they took one of his idiot jokes about how fat they were.

"Weight issues, huh? Well, at least I've never been turned into a lantern," Spyro said with a huge smile, Shine busts out laughing. He looks at the white Dragon and then rolls his eyes, trying to ignore the older Dragon.

"Oh, please; lantern schmantern," Sparx said while rolling his eyes and a grin was on his face, taking the reminder lightly. Pointing to the pathway that was ahead of them not only a childish excitement in his eyes, he exclaimed, "Let's see what's out there."

Shine stops laughing and looks at the young Dragonfly. "You're kidding right?"

"Nope," Sparx said as he flew ahead but Spyro quickly stops him with his paw.

Cynder looks up at the sky to check the position of the moons. It was past midnight now; they had set out for more than two days and still much of the swamp was before them. She couldn't help but wonder if it ever ended. "Shine, does the swamp end at any time?"

Shine looks at her and gave a heavy sigh. "Yes, the swamp ends. If it didn't then the island wouldn't have towns like Dragonwing, Darkhollow, Haven, Sparagus, Kras, and Dragonfang. Those cities are far from here but the swamp ends before way before the cities are seen."

"Oh, thanks for that," she replied. She stops where she is at and gazes at the twinkling stars for a brief moment while her oblivious companions headed onward. If only she knew where they were going, which direction to follow, the lights could have been a helpful guide like using a star map. She knew how to use the stars as a compass; the constellations were the to show where to go. But now they were just traveling blindly as Shine leads them. The light orb that Shine has starts to lose it's shine. But the shine then later comes back and Cynder quickly went after them.

The thought she had made her stop when Shine stops in the middle of the clearing to see where to go. Where were they traveling; where, exactly, was this so-called place Dragon Temple and home? Shine looked over his shoulders when a small shadow is seen from the light orb's aura. He looks up and sees nothing. All that was nothing when another shadow formed, and he quickly looked up to see a small silhouette of a snake-like creature sliding the roofs of the mushroom tops. Cynder looks at Shine as he just looks up. "What's wrong?"

"Naga," Shine bluntly replied.

Cynder and Spyro were struck back by the statement, Crystal quickly jumped behind Spyro for protection. They heard about the Naga, a cruel race that is snake-like body that slitters when they have to get around. They were known for torture and killing like Apes and another race called Humans. Humans were known to kill more but there hasn't been any records of any Humans since the great Dragon Wars over seventy thousand years ago, making humanity all dead. They heard of Wolves who traveled in packs, resenting outsiders; Bears, territorial creatures who knew nothing but to attack any passersby who happened to wander too close; and other, worse things. But the Naga are the second deadliest race ever. They could be a million different creatures out there they didn't know but it had to be Naga. What if they were hostile? What if they were bigger than the young ones? Then what? Sure Shine would fight them but it would be hard for him due to be outnumbered because Naga travel in groups of twelve.

Cynder put her fears again by remembering what happened earlier. They did confront a colony of bulb spiders. They had all the time in the world to find out what was going on as they continued to wearily travel; now they needed to pay attention. One of the spiders before them had red markings on its head while the other three had blue, green and yellow that looked like gold. Surely they were a mated pair with a family. She remembered Nina had mentioned the way to tell their genders: yellow for adult male, red for adult female, green for young female, and blue for young male.

Luckily, the fire-intolerant bulb spiders shriveled under the flames, and they were quickly disposed of in a few breaths, allowing them continue unhindered. Turning a bend, they soon came to a small dirt cliff a few feet off the ground standing over a small valley, its only notable feature was an old, bent tree that surrounded the masses with its tangled roots. Peering over the edge, Cynder spotted more of the Apes that had been trailing them for the past few days. They didn't even take a notice that the Dragons were there, so they were just patrolling down there.

Shivering in fear from the sight of them, the young ones tried to back off, but before they could the leader of the small battalion noticed them before they could hide. Banging his dull iron sword on a steel-plated shield that was dented in the middle to rally his comrades. He crowded up to the cliff but was unable to climb up because the effort was fruitless as the slope was too steep to be climbed and they slipped back down.

Something instinctive awoken in the young Dragons; the exchanged glances and then nodded, knowing what had overtaken them. Jumping in the air like a feral cat as it tries to catch a bird, they force themselves down with all their strength, diving horn first into the small crowd. Shine quickly jumps up and starts to form into a ball, as his ball starts to glow, a sudden drop happened. A shadow was seen over the leader, as it got smaller and smaller, the leader looked up and saw a ball coming down at full force like a meteor.

"Oh… no," the leader said as he quickly got out of there but before he was about seven steps away, Crystal hit him with her horns, the lightweight Dragon was tough because the impact threw him to the ground. As she looked up to the Ape, Shine quickly lands on him - limbs exploded off from the force making the Ape bleed to death. Spyro quickly gets in a ball form and does a small attack towards a small Ape. As Spyro got close, Cynder quickly landed behind the Ape and slammed it down to the ground. Spyro lands on the Ape and starts tearing the Ape's fur and skin off until muscle was shown then bones came. As the bones were being exposed, they were also breaking until he breathed fire on the open wounds. Screaming in pain, the Ape died within seconds.

"Now what," Cynder asked as she took one of the Ape's by the throat in her paws and squeezes so hard, the neck breaks.

"We fight," Spyro said.

But their job was far from down. Just as they headed for the path before them, ravine-like in that tall cliffs surrounded them and the valley, they got a surprise as some more of the Apes came up but some of them were dragged back by green tails. As the Apes looked back, Shine took the advantage to quickly charge at the cliff, the impact made it unstable as the Ape quickly fell down. Some of them landed head first, killing them or making them paralyzed.

There were only ten of them, while six were taken by green tails, and five died by the fall - they swarmed the Dragons and it was nearly impossible to hit them. They cart wheeled about, avoiding their blows, before jumping at them to make the Dragons' defense complete useless. As the Apes tried to hit them with the mangy paws wildly,f Shine grabs one of them and throws him in the wall. Spyro and Cynder got the idea, counter the attacks. Crystal quickly jumped on Shine's head and quickly jumps off before three Apes jump on Shine's back. As the white Dragon felt them, he quickly got on his hind legs and does a tombstone move on the Apes. Getting up, he sees Spyro and Cynder have jumped up and quickly dived. Before the Apes could do anything, they were bit or scratched with the full force of the two Dragons. Poor things didn't have a chance to counter. Crystal then quickly dives head first on an Ape but instead of landing, her claws quickly latched on. She then starts to do bicycle kicks on it - nearly twenty kicks were delivered and killing the beast. As the battle raged on, some of the Apes cowered in hopes for mercy but weren't given any.

Finally, the battle was over and they had the chance to keep going, they thought more about the odd, hostile creatures. It seemed these creatures had some form of intelligence, as they had a crude hierarchy system. Small ones that were about the same height as Cynder and Crystal, ever - at least in the Apes eyes - unimportant. They were pawns. They had little armor and had no such thing as a weapon. Small Apes never even have weapons due to being frontline. No swords or maces like the others had. These soldiers used just claws for attacking, sure they were fast but they were weak.

Then there were the leaders, they were a bit bigger than Spyro would be if he stood on his hind legs - as Spyro was just a tad taller than Crystal and Cynder. The leaders often carried swords or whatever melee weapons they wanted and some dynamite, and had thick leather or iron armor. They usually lead a group of five to ten soldiers. Cynder was sure that there were more ranks, but so far this was all she had could put together from what she knew.

The fight raged on as more came up; they fought wave after wave of their adversaries, weaving through the crowd of the howling soldiers and dodging their attacks and explosions of the dynamite thrown by the leaders who stayed out of the direct fray until their fodder was gone. To Shine's luck, he would block the explosion before it would happen and make sure that the young Dragons were behind his light barrier.

"Light element: Light Barrage," Shine yelled out. He lifts his hand and slams it down to the ground. As the explosion came closer, time seemed to slow down as seven small halo rings came out and started attacking the soldiers. Each time the rings hit, they grew and split up into two more. After a few seconds, the explosion was so close Shine quickly closed his eyes and opened them to form another barrier to protect them. But that didn't work because by the time the barrier was up, the explosion hit Shine, sending him flying through the air but rather hitting the cliff he landed in mud with a groan. Dirty and covered in brown water, but unharmed, he quickly returned to the fight - only to find it had finished, Spyro took his tail blade and sliced the leader's neck with ease.

"Good work," Shine walked up to him with a limp. His right forearm was damaged and nearly broken due to the explosion hit him so hard that bones were broken.

"What happened?"

"Explosion happened," Shine said as he wiped the mud off of him.

Despite his disgruntlement of appearance, he was ready to continue on with the long journey to get out of the Swamp and make their way to the Dragon Temple. Plodding forward, Shine lead the others towards the ravine-path, hoping that there would be no other interruptions. However, his wishes were just moot and soiled - before he could react, the brittle, sun-baked vines that obstructed the path before them just exploded, flying towards them. One of the roots hit Shine, sending him flying due to the large size. As he landed, he was knocked out. The others were lucky to duck but that was short lived.

Spyro and Cynder's eyes grew wide as Sparx and Crystal just back away very slowly. The eyes from the purple male and his girlfriend were bigger than Colossus - the largest of the two moons in the sky - as they stared in horror before them. There, towering above them as they slipped down from the shadows and into the soft blue light, were two growths. They didn't seen one before but now they have and feared for their lives.

These abominations were only spoke by people with terrified whispers and were only heard from inside of frightening stories that Flash and Nina so loved to tell them as they did their best to frighten the children for disobedience. Never had they ever thought they meet one of these creatures, who seemed just to look like they were just part of the swamp that came to life; they were made from nothing but other than a tight, coiled vines with a beard of moss, the green plants also blanketing their whole body and had some rocks on the back. Cutting through the layers of plants matter were two piercing eyes that had an evil aura in them. They were red as blood and struck more terror in any of the three Dragons than they had ever had.

Frozen in fear, they only stared as the growths grabbed their clubs from their backs that was made of knotted, decaying wood of old trees. A screeching roar was heard, the great noise seeming to resound over the whole world, before bringing their clubs down on the ground just before them. As the club hit the ground, an earthquake rippled through and made everything seemed to stop for a while before gravity came back. The Dragons didn't even think of a time that they were as terrified as they are right now. As one of the growths raised its club and was about to swing, a light beam cut its arm off. Screaming in pain, it falls down on the ground while dying. Spyro looks back to see Shine breaks the root that was pinning his chest.

"Get behind me," Shine ordered, Spyro and his group didn't have to be told twice. They quickly got behind him as he used his wings to shield them. "Okay, stay together and don't leave."

"Yeah, like where are we going to go," Sparx sarcastically said. Shine huffed a sigh.

"Stay close," he said as he dashed away. There was no way they would be able to win against them because growths are like behemoths. Strong, fast, and very hard to hurt them. As they ran, the outraged growths spit globs of poison after them. Sizzled as it landed just behind them, eating not only the unfortunate plants but also the soil. It seemed to be stronger than anything else.

As they ran, the huffing and puffing from their breaths, Shine took his wings away from the four young ones. "We are almost there," he said. As they ran through the passage, cliffs surrounding them on both sides, they finally skidded to a stop. Shine looks around and falls down on the ground to catch his breath. Sparx, who was out of breath as well, couldn't take the exertion he had just put on his small body. Groaning, he fell out of the air and remained still on Shine's back, panting in exhaustion. "A warrior is not to hide but facing growths is just as bad as facing a behemoth." He lays his head down.

Cynder looks up to them, she tried to ignore Sparx - probably because he was being dramatic as always - she squinted at the darkness behind them, trying to see if the growths were following them in their sprint. Luckily, though, the hulking creatures' shadows weren't seen, so she plopped to the ground and tried to catch her breath. Well, at least this answered their earlier question… if you encounter something bigger than you are, get the fuck out of there right now!

Standing once her sides ceased to ache and she had finally gotten good, sweet air in her system, she turned to Sparx and Shine. "You two okay," she asked. Sparx nods while Shine just sighed. Her concern in her voice must have made Shine feel guilty to miss a fight but if he faced those growths, he would have died. "Come on, we have to keep going."

Sparx, rising into the air, pouted while crossing his arms. "I want to go home," he whined. Shine laughs at his remark and gets up. As Shine got up, Sparx quickly floated away "Come on, Cynder, let's just go back. There are frog weeds, Apes, spiders, and crazy-vine… things? What else is out there? This is just too dangerous," his voice cracked.

"Go home then," Spyro and Cynder said in unity. They both stood up nearby just scanning the path.

"You didn't have to come after us. We don't think any less of you if you don't want to stay," Spyro said.

"He's right," Shine added. Sparx looked at him.

"Et tu, Brute," Sparx said with a shocked expression.

"Sparx, we can't go back home - well me, Spyro and Cynder can't go back. Not now; we need to know what… who we are. We need to know," Crystal added, staring at the ground as if it would just give her answer from a book.

Sparx faltered, but was thinking for a moment, he said resolutely, "No, I'm not leaving you three - well four, if you count that big Dragon - do this on your own, no matter what happens. I'm with you no matter what."

Cynder looked at him and a confused looked, "Really?"

"You need me, right," Sparx asked with a grin.

"If you are asking for help, we will need," Shine grimly said as he walked over to a cave system.

"Right," Spyro said, thought Sparx was half-joking, he couldn't help but smile widely back. He was just so glad, glad that someone like him would stick with them until the end no matter how many or what obstacles befell them, no matter how many times all of them wanted to run back home and forget any of this had happened - Sparx would always be with them for that. He was trusted the most and Shine smiled at him.

"You have a noble heart young Dragonfly," Shine said as he came back with some mushrooms in his paw. He takes two of them out of his paws and smashes them on the ground. As the juice came out, he takes his left paw and gently rubs the juice on his wounds. "We need to rest for a while."

"I can see you need it more," Sparx said with a serious face. Shine looked at him and nodded.

After a few minutes, they started on wards. The night wore slowly for the next hour or so, and they were growing of exhaustion. The path was frequently obstructed by pits, chasms, and more vines, and even the occasional soldier. The bulb spider did not make any more appearances; even they were asleep.

As they continued wandering through the twisting, narrow passageways, a single thought kept popping up in the young Dragon's minds: What were these soldiers after? Whatever the Apes were, they certainly weren't from the Swamp or even the forest that surrounded it. They were just so strange. They came from nowhere that they knew. Not even Shine would know the answer.

So why had them come here, into the peaceful Swamp? What or who are they after, here of all places? And why?

Them.

The thought hit them suddenly, and though they tried to discredit it, they couldn't. They know nothing of their parents, their past, what exactly had happened to set them off down the river… So it wasn't impossible that these creatures were hunting them down. However, it was too ludicrous notion when they really thought about it - what in the world could be so special about them that someone would want them killed or captured?

It must have been nearly two in the morning when, struggling to stay awake, we encountered the first enemy in a few hours. Not even the soldiers bothered them., anymore; it was as if they had all vanished and dropped from the face of the earth.

Before they found a clearing, though, they first had to cross a pit; not just any pit, though. Tangles of deadly sharp had grown from what have seemed like years there, and now completely covered what was once merely a slight depression in the earth. Even the log in the bottom was covered by thorns.

The pit was too long to merely glide over. If they tried, they would land right into the thorn bushes and be trapped there. Shine looks around and sees a dead root that is out of the side of the cliff, much like the ones that formed an unstable bridge through the Tunnel back at the Flash and Nina's home, and they would probably breath just the same.

Spyro, assessing the situation, exchange a worried glance with Shine as if asking what needs to be done. Shine nearly snorted; usually he looked to him for courage to come up from Spyro, but he was asking him?

"We arent' going to make it across it unless you four go together. I can fly above and land on the other side," Shine said as he flapped his wings. "No more sorrow, I paid for nothing. Time won't heal this if you fail. And there is no turning back. Go!" He flies up and starts moving over the cliffs.

"Okay," Spyro and Crystal said as they charged first with Sparx and Cynder behind them about two inches away. As they rocketed off the ledge at the precise same moment and landed on the old, bent branch. It snapped under their weight almost immediately, but they were already sailing over the pit of thorns, and in the moment they were safely on the ground. Shine lands next to him, and breaths a sigh of relief. The grassy here as they had reached the outer Swamp where the forest spilled into the Bog of Forgotten. They pulled off the land perfectly, but Spyro and Cynder, who always managed to be tripping over their feet in one manner or another, stumbled and nearly fell right onto their faces.

Shine was shaking his head as Spyro recovered, Shine shoved him forward. "Come."

Before them was a great basin-clearing that seemed to contain the least concentrated area of swampland. Mushrooms and trees happily grew branch in cap on the tall plateaus that was surrounding the area. Besides that, a few swamp pines, enjoying the brief respite from the withering sun, sprouting from the mushy grass and mud making the ground, mixed into a rather interesting concoction.

They plodded forward into the middle of the field, the damp grass squelching under their paws. Uneasiness suddenly came upon them as they felt an unease presence in the distance. They tensed up and looked up to the sky. The stars were fading with the onset of dawn and the moons, growing in the night as they always did before returning to their small sizes the next day, were making their way to dawn.

As Spyro and Cynder stared blankly into the darkness, a cold chill enveloped them and as terror swept in their minds. They could detect a familiar scent on the light brush of cool wind - it smelled like Spyro and Crystal, but there was also something else about it, something that reminded them of death and decay, and even more faintly the sickening smell of the metallic scent in blood.

Spyro's eyes widen, he knew what it was. The pink blob that streaked through the lightening sky like a hawk diving for its prey. A moment later, an ear-bursting roar was heard through the air, sending shivers of terror throughout the group, and then it disappeared into the night.

"Ember," Shine said to himself in a quiet voice that no one heard him.

It only seemed to hit all of them then. A moment ago, they were all frozen in shock, and now they were on the flight response and began a mad dash for the thick cover of trees only a few yards away.

"What was that," Cynder asked.

Spyro and Sparx both screamed as they dove for the safe cover of darkness, but beside gasps for breath the rest remained silent, mostly because they didn't want that thing to lock on to their location.

Sparx, who was hyperventilating at this point, flew dazedly above them. "Breathe, Sparx, old boy. Go to your happy place," he squeaked, a moment later he was beside them again. "What the hell was that?"

"We will discuss that when we cross that bridge," Shine said as he left the four young ones behind. They looked back and followed him, the shadows took them within their aura of safety as they fled under the thick tree cover. Panting, they skidded to a stop and collapsed against the smooth bark of a young tree, then groaning, fell into the mud. Shine looks back and sees them throbbing painfully and thought they were suffocating. "You okay?"

Spyro, who was still struggling to catch his breath after the sprint, breathed out, "No. I want to know what the fuck that was. Right now. It smelt familiar like it smelt like me and Crystal." His pupils constricted at 'familiar'.

"I have no idea, but I'm going this way - far from it," Sparx said with a shaky laugh, shaking his head. Hurriedly he flew into the opposite direction from where they came, and groaning again, they managed to pull themselves to their feet and slowly followed Shine.

They continued forward from there at a bit of a faster pace due to that heart attack experience, even as the trees thinned and they broke into even more clearings. Cynder kept shooting glances at the sky, afraid that what that pink monster was at, that smelled terrifyingly of death, but it was never there. Lucky for them it would seem.

About fifteen minutes later, they finally reached the thicker areas of swampland, where the mushroom caps blocked out the sky and created a veil of darkness and cover. Once here, they relaxed and slowed to a walk, now not so scared of rearing monsters who soared through the skies, for they were safe for now.

By the time their journey truly began, after hours of wandering through the darkness, the moons were already well on their way down. It was only three hours of night left before the sun would breach the hazy sky. And they were up since three days, so it was high time that they get some rest after this journey. As they walked along, Spyro just barely noticed something out of the corner of his eye - the dark, looming entrance of a cave cut into stone. Shine smiled as he walked up to the cave and motioned them to come closer.

"Over here young ones," he whispered, he was making sure that nothing was nearby and didn't want that monster to come from nowhere.

"Okay," Spyro said, "we stop here for the night?" Shine nodded his head. "We need to rest."

The only sound as theye approached the entrance was the singing of frog weeds, beginning to die out now with the advent of night coming. The cave's dark shadow feel over them and seemed to swallow them and engulf them whole. Only Sparx's dim light and Shines light orb barely shattered the crushing darkness, and they could hardly see their paws in front of their faces and they slowly stepped inside.

They quickly picked up on the sound of heavy breathing as they went deeper into the narrow cave. At first Crystal thought it was Spyro but after a few moments, she realized that his breaths were fast and shaky, not slow and deep, and Sparx didn't have enough air in him for that. Cynder's was soft like Crystal's breathing. Shine was more like a steady, calm breathing. So what…?

There's something else in here, Crystal thought as she tensed up as the thought hit her, and just as she did, she barely made out a silhouette of two forms laying asleep in the darkness.

"Wait…," Crystal asked, her voice rising a bit louder than she intended.

The moment she uttered that word, the forms that lay before them seemed to snap up from their positions and they heard low growls, barely audible though it was dead silent in here. She couldn't see any features of the creatures that stood before her; all she knew they were bigger than she was. Way bigger.

They began to stalk forward, head bowed; their eyes glinted briefly in the light and then she saw nothing less than coldness in them, the cold look the solider had given them before they tried to kill them. Fear shot through her, rooting her to the spot like a mushroom though she wanted so much to run. All she managed to do was back away slowly, out of the darkness and into the fading moonlight, Spyro was right after her but Shine behind them.

As the creatures saw them in the light, they stopped suddenly and straightened. The three young dragons just stood there for many agonizing moments, nobody moving, the whole world was like it was frozen.

Finally, one of the creatures began to step forward, into the light with them. His face, though barely visible in the dim light, now showed not coldness but shock, a look that showed and to take on as they noticed more and more and began to connect the dots.

He bore a rather large resemblance to them - though his colors were nothing similar, orange-red scales, wood-colored underbelly and horns and oval shaped amber eyes, his horns curved back just as Shine's, he had a similar stature, and there was just something about him that reminded them of what they were.

It then hit them, a realization, an epiphany, something that all three overjoyed them - they found it, they had finally found it - and somehow scared them as well.

He was the same species as them.

"Father," Shine said as he walked up to the old dragon. "These are the Dragons you asked me to watch for a long time."


	7. Chapter 7: The Purple and Black Dragons

**Chapter 7: The Purple and Black Dragons**

They stood there in silence for what seemed to be like hours became years, staring at each other in complete shock, no one willing to move or utter a single world. Terror was on Spyro and Cynder's minds while they were having a hard time taking what is going on. Shine being the red-orange Dragon's son was shocking, so they had a feeling that the older dragon wasn't hostile towards them. But they were cautious, they didn't trust the older dragon. But for reason they didn't run - not after finally reaching the end of their journey, finally finding one who could tell them what was going on.

Little did they know that Spyro and Cynder's journey had only just begun while Crystal's had ended.

Much to Spyro's relief, the golden saviour broke the terrible silence. "And I thought Shine was huge. Goodness…," his voice was mixed with the usual sarcasm that he did all the time and a tone of breathy wonder as he stared up at the creature before them. Sparx was right - he was a lot taller than the four dragons.

"Shine…," the tall Dragon said before he gulped, soothing his harsh voice, roughened from what sounded like years of complete utter silence. "Thank the Ancestors… Nova, come over here. Our child has returned." As the other silhouette came closer, Cynder sniffed the air. The red dragon looked at her and smiled. "You know who that is?"

"She, smells familiar," Cynder said. "But how?"

"Because you are Shine's brother, my child and hers as well," the red dragon said.

Cynder was shocked when she heard that. She never knew this would happen, all she imagine was finding out what a Dragon is and what they do but not this, finding out about her family.

The red dragon looks at Spyro and Crystal and smiles. "Shine has told me about two purple Dragons being born from one egg. Twins…"

Nova comes up, Cynder then sees everything that Nova. That giant black Dragoness looked exactly like Cynder. Black scales, red underbelly, blood red wings, a scythe tail blade, emerald green eyes, and nine ivory horns. "Hello there," the giant black dragoness said as she came up to the three young ones. "Ignitus, I'm proud of you for giving me another daughter. Now we have two daughters and a son."

"Yes, if only Quartz has returned back from Warfang," the old male dragon said as he walked up to them. "I'm glad that you three are here but only two must come."

His voice had fallen in a contemplative murmur as he stared at them with his wondering eyes gazed graceful at them. Spyro and Cynder back away a pace again. Why was he looking at them like that? For some odd reason, they couldn't quite put a claw on it, it just reminded them of Flash…

The bright eyes of the great orange giant suddenly flickered out and died. His gaze turned from us to the muddy ground and he shook his head. "But it doesn't matter that you are here. It's too late… Too late…"

"It's never too late," the orange Dragon looked at his son. "If it was too late, then all of the Dragon race would be killed. Just look at the rest of the Guardians, only three are gone while we are here. The Apes are not that smart. But we can win. You are abandoning hope when your hope is right in front of you." Ignitus was struck back as what was said by his son. Shine never showed this side before but time, it was different. "We have to make sure everything is right for us. It's never too late."

Spyro's fear faded away then, replaced with curiosity and had a burning desire for the truth of what is going on. This Dragon… it didn't seem like he would harm them. Though rough and old, his voice was also kind and very gentle. And besides, he was wound up in their past somehow; that they were sure about that from his monologue. Maybe, just maybe he could tell them everything.

Spyro found words before Cynder could. "T-too late," he stuttered, speaking so quickly that the stumbled over the words. "Too late for what?"

"I know Shine, your son, had to keep tabs on us? But can you tell us where we came from," Cynder asked, firing her own volley of questions at the dragon who now stared at them with his mouth agape, trying to find a place to interject. Shine walked over to her and shook his head, she knew what that mean and it meant stop talking which she did. "Sorry."

Spyro's voice began to rise as his excitement grew. "Who are you? What are we?"

"WHAT AM I," Spyro and Cynder cried in unison. We silenced then, waiting for Ignitus' answer with much anticipation. The shouting might not have been necessary to get their point to him but they were just so worked up - here, standing before them was the answer just waiting to be revealed.

Their sentence - carrying seemed to confuse him and Nova, though for they blinked and just stared at the young ones for a moment. They suppose processing all of this was just too much to comprehend for a while. As confusion crossed the old dragon's face, he answered them by motioning Shine to tell them everything. Shine grew wide eyed and shook his head. "No way I'm telling them. I told them that they need to get to the Dragon Temple so that they can train."

"But you must tell them," Ignitus said as he looked at the young ones. "You're her brother and you're are the purple Dragon's guardian. You have to tell them."

Shine grunted as he looked at them. "You three are Dragons like I said," his voice tone was implying that they knew that already.

"We got that," Crystal said as she heard about that. "But what is going on? I need to know." She was glad that someone told them the truth about what they were but now they had to deal with what they had to do. And something about what Shine was about to say was no answer she and the others wanted to hear. Something that deals with a future.

"Thirteen years ago, the Temple Raid happened and your eggs were taken away," Shine said in a somber tone, voice reflecting on what happened in the past, so much remorse and grief. "It was our job to protect the eggs. Didn't matter if they were green, grey, or another color, they all had to be protected. But our first eggs that needed to be protected was yours. We were lucky that we saved them but lost the others…" He closes his eyes and bows his head as a hint of pain was seen across his face. Spyro couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the three Dragons that day.

Not wanting to disturb them, he hesitantly asked, "What happened?"

Shine just continued to stare at the ground as Ignitus wrapped a wing around him. "The others were killed or captured."

"By who," Crystal asked.

"Your father, Malefor," Ignitus bluntly said. "He is a tyrant that wanted power for a long time. Corruption from the dark side of elements. He is very dangerous. There were six of us - Guardians, that is - and we all had just one job: ensure that all the eggs were hatched. It was the Year of the Dragon, after all, and our very survival depended on those eggs. but the Temple and Grotto are now gone… Overrun by…," he trailed off, and Spyro could see a bit of anger flashing through his eyes, not at them but at the ones that done this.

"What do you mean our father," Spyro asked.

"Malefor is the tyrant that wants to be powerful so that he can rule the world with an iron paw," Nova started. "He is very chaotic. When he learned about the eggs, he wanted to have them destroyed because he feared that one of the eggs would end his life of corruption and purge that evil to make him good and back to the Malefor he used to be."

"Okay, and what do that have to deal with us," Crystal asked.

"Because of you three," Ignitus said. "There is a prophecy spoke of a purple and black dragon - well two purple dragons with a black dragoness, but this is exceptionally rare. Which makes you even a threat. A purple dragon, after all is only born once every ten generations. And a Black Dragon was only born seven times. The Purple dragon had been born more than that. Malefor being the first one created, which he died but was brought back to life about twenty years ago. During the time that Malefor was killed, there were over sixty thousand purple Dragons that were born. And now you three are here."

"'You'," Sparx asked scratchily, mimicking Ignitus' hoarse voice. "What, you mean them? Wait - this long? Spyro, Cynder and Crystal, some special once-in-a-purple-and-black thing" He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief at what he was hearing. "I think you may mixed that one up, old man. Woo… that's a little… bit of a stretch."

"The signs of Malefor returning is a pink Dragon, which we all saw," Shine grimly said. Sparx looked at him with a confused looked.

"What pink Dragon?"

"Try that Dragon that was in the sky before we got to the caves," Shine said as Sparx's jaw dropped.

"Right," Sparx finally said after a few moments of silence. "You have been away from people for so long that you don't even know what way is up."

Spyro and Cynder shot their respective death glares at him, while both of male dragons just stared sternly at him, unamused. Cynder considered smacking Sparx with her tail blade, but simply huffed before rolling her eyes. What was that suppose to mean? Sparx really must not believe anything.

"I've heard so, ah, doozies within my time, but this one takes the cake," Sparx said, wisely finishing his spiel before any of the young ones became too irritated enough to teach him one hard lesson that would stay with him for a long time, though much to their annoyance his little golden body still shook with suppressed laughter.

Shaking his head at Sparx's antics, the old orange dragon said, "Spyro, Cynder, and Crystal is it?" All three nodded at the sound of their voice. "Well, you three, I assure you I'm telling the truth. Same with my son. The Dark Armies attacked, intent on destroying the eggs and killing the rest of us." The young dragons exchanged looking upon on another; he's said it as if Dark Armies attacked your just some everyday affair. "And they nearly succeeded. Few were left alive. Then, while our numbers dwindled, they lay siege to the rest of the islands. We were at war! And we are still at war. This war is no longer just a Dragon War, it is time that the other races help because Malefor won't stop until everything is under his control.

"For many years, we fought all over the islands. The brutal clashes with the armies of the Dark Master - Malefor - who was intent on preventing the prophecies from coming true, consumed our lives. The five other Guardians and I led our small but valiant forces into battle after battle against our ruthless, brutal, merciless, mercenary foe. Then, just as we were beginning to turn the tide… Ember came."

"E-Ember," Spyro stuttered. Both of the young females shivered as he said that name. The name made not only blood run cold but send also made them become paralyzed with fear for a short time.

"Yes…," the Guardian bowed his head, recalling the terrifying memory. "Ember. Ember was… no. Nor was. She is… a monster, horrified and ferocious. A pink Dragon that fills the Skies with Terror; an unstoppable force of nature…"

"Uh yeah, you had me a ferocious," Sparx said, shaking his head. "Listen… sounds like the thing that was chasing us, Spyro."

"And it was." Shine murmured, recalling the pink streak that shot through the sky like lightning; here for a moment then gone within a few seconds.

"Yes. She still searches for me, Shine, and Nova. And years ago, me and Nova watched as Ember plucked the others from the battlefield… like so many ripe grapes from a vine that were destroyed, our cause was lost after the other three were gone. Now it's just three of us and even then, we can't win. I, Ignitus, managed to escape with Nova." The old Guardian turned his remorseful gaze from the young ones to the ground. A single tear was drawn from his eyes. "I watched my brother die, my other brother get taken away from Ember. Not that if matters anymore. Ember and her master now rules all… and we sit here wondering what might have been. What else I might have done. What could we have done to prevent this? And I come to the conclusion, but it is not a good one because then Spyro and Cynder - you wouldn't be here -, killing Malefor."

"Kill our father," Spyro grew wide eyed and looked at the fire Dragon. "As much as I want to hate that, but that seems to be the only answer…"

"Spyro, please don't talk like that," Cynder countered. "Sure your father is a tyrant but you are here and not like him."

"I know but if he was dead, none of this would have happened. Nothing evil would have happened."

"Wow…," Sparx said quietly, just as shocked as Crystal was. Attempting to light the mood, he hovered over to Shine but couldn't find cheerful words, "That sounds horrible… what happened? I want to find out right now with this people." Shine looked at the little Dragonfly and shook his head.

"If you are trying to joke, don't bother with it little one," Shine said as he laid down. "Everything went to Hell. First the Temple Raid, then the death a Guardian, next three Guardians gone, then nearly all of the Dragon race is killed or captured, and now the end."

"Son don't be like that. You need to have that grime façade away from your sister," Nova said as she placed a paw on his shoulder. He looks at her and then looks at the ground before drawing something in the ground with his claw.

"Why have you given up like that, all of you," Cynder asked as she walked over to them. "We just find out that we are some sort of special Dragons, but you're telling me all is still lost? That we have no home or anything else of that matter because of Spyro and Crystal's father?" Shine and Ignitus look at each other as Cynder gazed at the ground and her eyes narrowed with a fire for liberty. "No…," she yelled out. "We've come way too far to give up now, after all of this. I want to see where I came from and who my real family is. I'm sure the others want to."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa -," Sparx flew in front of Cynder with a distorted face while Cynder stared at the three older dragons with a pleading looked mixed with defiance. "Hold up, savior girl, were you not listening to what those two have said or did it fall on deaf ears? Shine was talking about what happened when the… uh…"

"Dark Master or Malefor," Shine put the words in Sparx's mouth.

"Dark Master got in power. And the other, Ignitus was talking about flying dragon, war, and horrible, horrible, things… this is bad stuff, alright? I don't think we're hearing the same thing."

"You're friend is right, Cynder, it's not as simple as that. The prophecies did speak of a purple Dragon destined to end the evil tyranny that Malefor had, but they did not foretell the devastation that surrounds us now. War is inevitable," Ignitus shook his head as Shine laid his down. "I will not put my daughter in danger."

"And if we do nothing, then what," Cynder asked. "Ember will hunt us down until we are captured or dead. There is only two escapes and one of them deals fighting head on while the other deals sleeping in an undiscovered cave. We will have pain."

"You will feel and understand pain when Ember torments you in your sleep, daughter," Ignitus said as he looked at Cynder. "I'm not risking you like I did with Spotlight to join with the Skylanders. I'm not risking a child of mine anymore. Even if the plea for if. Nothing will change my mind." Nova looked at Ignitus and shook her head. "Nothing will."

"And why would you want them to be like this," Nova asked as she came close to Ignitus. "Don't you think it's time that Malefor is put down? Don't you think that it's time for something that will bring peace to the land and make a new era?"

Ignitus looked at his mate and sighed in defeat. "You're right."

"I grow tired of being under Malefor's rule," Nova continued. "If the prophecies wanted this, then it should happen. Who are we to judge and allow to go out? We can't do anything like that. We must do the right thing. And right now it's taking these three young ones with us."

"She's right you know," Cynder, stepping forward and gazed squarely up at Ignitus; she was not going to take no for answer and what seemed to be good was all evil thanks to Malefor's touch. She won't accept no for answer because it is time that there is freedom. 'A Dragon with no freedom is nothing but a slave,' she thought. "A Dragon choices, a slave obeys. What do you want to be, a Dragon or a slave?" Ignitus was struck back at the question, never once in his life was he asked that question. "You can't just spend your life living on a 'maybe' because some old dusty prophecies says there's no reason to go on. The past happened, the present is a gift, and the future was never written in stone - it changes, it always will change. It's what you do to make a different one. If we just sit here in this cave, then that makes your prophecies become true but if we fight our way to the Dark Master, then we will win and have freedom for everything. Hope is what we fight for, it is what we live by. Our hope is stronger than any destruction that your prophecies has given. Everything else will fade away but not our hope because when all things are lost, hope will light our passage way. We have a reason to go on." She stopped there to catch her breath and surprised at the speech that came out of her mouth; the words had just spilled out of her unbidden and with a rapid flow of truth.

Ignitus turned his gaze to the three young dragons and then to Shine and closed his eyes. They could tell by the pained look on the face that he wanted to say no, but somehow he just couldn't. Opening his weary eyes, he nodded and caused them to break into a wide, ecstatic smile - even Sparx was smiling with them.

"Very well then young dragons," he said as he turned around to Nova. "And my mate is right about one thing. Malefor has to be stopped because no hope. And hearing that speech from you daughter, you have given us a chance. After all, you deserve to see your beginning… before it all ends with Malefor's imprisonment." He had hope right now, he was very sure that three young dragons would return victorious over Malefor. "May the Ancestors give us hope and courage to win."

Though Ignitus wasn't very pleased and looked… even a little worried, but they followed him as he went deeper in the cave. Nova beside him while the three Dragons and Sparx were behind them with Shine behind them. Cynder could be a pessimist sometimes, but never this bad; perhaps Spyro's optimism had finally got a hold on her or perhaps she could see what was so clear to all but not the old Dragon. There was always hope.

As there journey really began, with their first steps into the depths of the cave, Sparx began his characteristic complaining. "Am I just the only sane one here? He's telling us we're doomed, alright? That's when I go, 'Ah! Maybe we should go back to the forest and Swamp with the flowers and the fun stuff!'," he watched as the Dragons continued. "Yeah, they're insane." Everyone ignored him, of course. No one liked Sparx's smartass, sarcastic, or stupid remakes - some of his jokes were tolerated.

'A secret tunnel,' Crystal thought as they went further inside until the mouth of the cave was lost in the twisting, turning passages and they walked in practically pitch black. It was quiet as they plodded on, the only sound the soft echoing of their footsteps and their breathing, so she was left in her thoughts.

A small slitter came as Ignitus looked over his shoulder, "Come out." After a few seconds a Naga comes out with giant sword in one of his hands and wearing steel armor that covered his chest and below. He looked at the Dragons and bowed.

"Ignitus," the Naga said. "I saw four Dragons come to your position, and I made sure that they came to you as I defeated the Apes in the Swamp for them to fight less." Shine looked at the Naga very carefully and grew wide eyed.

"You, helped us? And I remember seeing you," Shine said as he walked to the Naga. "It's good to see you General Slithar."

"Likewise," Slithar said. "Anyway my master," when he said that, all four young ones looked at Ignitus with wide eyes, "What do you want me to do?"

"Just follow us until we are ready. I need you to be at the Temple Grounds when we take that back. Our first stage of attack is getting that Temple back then we focus on training the young ones," Ignitus said as he continued to walk. "But before we go only two are going do the fighting of Ember and Malefor, while the other stays behind to protect us. When the first two go out. I don't want us to be like the other Guardians."

"Okay, I'm sure that the Guardians of Light will be glad to know that he will be helping them because after you get the Temple, I will be working at Warfang to help the people over there to win against that evil Dragon," Slithar said as he slithered to the edge of the cave. "I'm sure that no matter what happens, we will win this rebellion. We have to win. Or we get no freedom for a long time until another purple and black dragon comes in."

"True. We won't lose though."

The three young Dragons were surprised today. Here they were, trusting an adult they never even met before; a complete stranger. They had no reason to trust him, to think he could help them, yet they were - quite literally - blindly tripping after him like a lost pup.

"Ignitus, I have to ask you," Spyro started, which made Ignitus turn his head towards him. "Who is in the rebellion?"

"Many races. Elves, Dragons, Humans, Dragonflies, Naga, Golems - excluding the Stone and Crystal ones -, Gillman, Moles, Fairies, Serpentes, and Elementals are on our side. Wyverns, Orcs, Shadows, Apes, Ghosts, Dreadwings, Snails, Trolls, Drows, Chompies, Minotaurs, Harpies, Skeletons, Cyclops, Dinosaurs, Flesh Eaters, Cerberus, Dwarves, Zombies, Spiders, Mantids, Gnorcs, Rhynocs, Mages, Demons, Gremlins, and Thieves on your father's side." Ignitus took a deep breath before continuing, "And we are trying to get more to help us but that is going down slowly because we lost our best negotiation speaker. I do not know where he might be but I will see if I can find him."

"So right now, his father is in the winning of alliances and other things correct," Cynder asked. Ignitus nodded. "Thought so. But a rebellion. Why not find him yourself and end it."

"Because where he is it will end all those that enter. The only way to counter that is by having more than two people with you in order for one to die and the others to pass through."

"I still think this is a bad thing."

"It is better to have a rebellion than to lose someone that you care. Think of it this way: If Shine was able to counter that, it would take him instead and if you two fail to defeat him then Shine's sacrifice would mean nothing. But if you do defeat Malefor, then his sacrifice means the end of rebellion."

Was this right thing to do? What would Flash and Nina think? Would they agree with this because of Shine or would they get angry? What they were doing is going against what was taught… Don't trust strangers, don't trust adults, if one tries to talk to you or get you to follow them, run away and never look back. And if they were talking about gloom and dread, then what?

But… it was just hard to explain, they felt like they could really trust him, even Cynder was having this feeling and she just found out that this orange Dragon is her father. They had a feeling that he was no antagonist, wouldn't harm them but wanted to help. And besides, what choice did they have? Those three could be the last Dragons they ever encounter and he seemed to be the key to their past as well. By running, they would be throwing everything away, everything they had fought for. And no these weren't the last three Dragons they would encounter. Even later in life, something big would reveal itself in due time.


	8. Chapter 8: The End Begins

**Chapter 8: The End Begins**

As they walked through the twisted and long tunnel, that was leading towards the Temple. As time went by, it became clear that it was going to be a long time. After minutes of walking, it felt like ages has happened. It would be a long timefor them to get to their destination. General Slithar looked around as he led the group, which consists Crystal, Shine, Spyro, Sparx, Cynder, Nova, and Ignitus. But for him, he knew something was wrong. He could tell but he kept silent until Sparx put his hand in the mouth.

"Hey, old Dragon," he said as Cynder looks at him with narrowed eyes full of fiery fury. "Can we move a little faster? I'm just saying." Cynder then looked at at Ignitus and noticed a slight limp. Before she could say a word, she turned her attention to Sparx and quickly swatted him with her tail. The satisfying buzz sound was heard before he hit a wall.

"What he was trying to ask is," she said loudly so Sparx could hear, "are you alright father? You look like you have a limp." She shot a murderous glare at Sparx.

Ignitus looked to his right side and smiled. "Thank you for your concern but don't worry about it at all. I promise that I'll be alright," he said as Cynder nodded. Spyro looked at him and sighed. "I promise you nothing will happen. I'll be fine and I'll lead the rebellion with my full strength and power."

"If you say so," Spyro commented under his breath but Ignitus heard that.

"Young Dragon, listen to me. If I was going to let this end me, I wouldn't be here right now."

Spyro dismissed the discussion as they continued. He and Cynder didn't like what was going on. Ignitus having a slight limp would affect not only the rebellion but also anything else if too much pressure is on the leg. "As you wish."

"Thank you."

"Let me guess, you are going to train them," Nova bluntly asked. "You have a limp. Allow Shine to do it."

"No, I got someone else in mind. Remember that one that has both Dragon and Human DNA in him due to an experiment to make a super soldier." Nova nods her head when Ignitus smiles. "That is who will be training them. Sure he has a Human appearance but he knows how to fight. He will train them how to fight like real soldiers. Even then, it will be hard for them."

"And why is that," Cynder said, not only did it get her attention but it also made her curious of what Ignitus was talking about.

"Because, he has one of the six guardians' DNA in him. And we guardians are forced to learn the most hardest parts of fighting because - as the name implies - to guard not only the Dragon race but other races that need our help." Ignitus then looks at his mate then to his daughter. He wanted to protect them at all costs, even by making it nearly making the impossible happen. "I wanted to protect more than my family. Shine knows how to defend himself due to the unstable element that no other Dragon but a Light Dragon knows."

"How is light unstable," Crystal curiously asked. "It is like fire correct?"

"In a sense but not when you have to do what I have to do," Shine commented. "You see light is unstable due to the power that it can be used for. Electricity, Fire, Dark, Water, Wind, Earth, and even the most rarest of all materials, Formadenaite. Formadenaite is a conductor of light as well as the others but for the others, it can make light seem like it's a child's toy. But with Formadenaite - which is only found in a Light Dragon's breath sac - is makes it more dangerous due to the power it can project. It destroys all of the atoms so..."

"ENOUGH" Sparx yelled. He didn't want to hear another word. "Listen, if I wanted to know about that I would be in SCHOOL!"

"You don't need to hear it if you just shut your ears," Shine countered.

"Ah, hello," he pointed at his antenas, "yeah the thing is that I don't have ears but this are and I'm not shoving them up my ass if you tell me to do that." Shine looked at him and laughed while shaking his head. "What?"

"Oh nothing..."

As time went by, they finally reached their destination. Entering through the Temple via secret passage, they heard loud clashing of metal and Apes were screaming in agony. Ignitus quickly went to the the wall and motioned everyone to be quiet. Sparx quickly flew down and grew dim as his light was probably attracting to much attention. Footsteps were heard and they were getting closer and closer until they stopped. Ignitus got close to the nearest corner and waited for the right oppurtinity. As he looked around the corner, a blur was seen. Everyone was shocked when they realized what happened, a Human was holding Ignitus' neck with one sword across the neck.

"So Ember finally sent someone," the Human said as his voice was raspy. But then he realized what he did. "I-Ignitus..." He let go of the old Dragon and quickly knelled. "I'm so sorry for what happened Master Ignitus. Forgive me." He places the sword on the ground and bowed his head with eyes closed. "I failed you. The Apes were here in numbers. I've tried to do something but then I realized, no matter what, I couldn't win."

"That's enough Ragan," the amber Dragon said with a smile. "You are a super soldier, so why are you giving up?" The old Dragon asked with caution.

"Because, they have more apes. Not only the small, medium, and large but they have other ones as well. I'm talking like Behemoth-sized." Ignitus' eyes grew wide when he heard that. "I've seen what they can do. Not only can they bring their fallen comrades back from the dead but they can also make it where they are more fortified than ever before. We are talking about more speed and strength."

"Did you see if they have a weakness," Nova questioned. "They all have a weakness."

"Yes but it's not a good one." Ragan quickly looks at the Naga and breathes. "I've seen what type of weakness they have and this time, the weakness is hard to spot because it's like the very tip of a Naga's tail."

"Wow," Slithar said as he looked at them. "So that means..."

"That means we have to be carful when facing them assholes."

Ignitus looked at him and smiled again. "I know what you are doing is good for us but right now we need you to help this young ones," he moved his paw and pointed at Spyro and Cynder, "in order for them to defeat the Dark Master."

"Very well," Ragan said as he opened his full black armor. "I've made some adjustments to my suit so now I can help anyone and I can adapt to anything, anywhere."

"Good." Ignitus walked through the area that has fallen from glorious to disrepair of no return; most of the pillars had be destroyed and there were chunks missing. The others looked at him and quickly walked towards him. They noticed the cracks that are on the ground that went deep in the structure and small holes from where the apes breached the Temple thirteen years ago. The ceiling had small beams of the early sunlight morning. But they knew it was carefully made, every detail was well thought out and it took many centuries with the painstaking care.

In front of them was a large circular door. What was in the middle was a small glowing circle but it was closed. Ignitus approached it but turned around towards the group.

"Ember's forces must have knocked the other statues out of place... heathens," he said while shaking his head.

"What other statues," Spyro asked, cocking his head.

"In side there are statues to open the door," Shine started. "But it also means that if they are not in place correctly, then we can't enter."

"On the other side of this door are two statues just like these," Ignitus gestured to the two small dragon statues that looked they were well kept.

The dragon looked like to be a male, carved out of sandstone and brass. He's gaze was black into the space around the group. Cynder stared at one of them in the eyes but a strange sensation came over them. It felt like she was drawn towards the object, she just wanted to reach out and touch it. But Ignitus' voice snapped her out of the reverie.

"When all four statues are positioned correctly... the door opens."

"Yeah, good. I was never good at geometry. So what do you want us to do," Sparx asked sarcastically.

"Spyro, Ragan, Cynder, I need you to get in there and move the statues in place." Ragan quickly gets out of his kneeling position and sighes. "What?"

"You do realize that I can't do that very easily. Each statue weighs about five hundred pounds," Ragan hated to say anything like that but in his eyes it was true.

"Just get the statues in place."

"Okay, how are we going to get in there if, well you know, the door is locked," Cynder asked flatly. "Can't we just smash it down?"

"I like that plan," Ragan said with a smirk on his face. Ignitus rolled his eyes. "But good luck with that. After I dealt with the first wave of Apes," he points at the pile of maybe ten dead Apes, "I've tried to break through. All I know is that I've been going at it for about three hours until that thing." He looks over to where the Ape Behemoth is at. Spyro and Cynder's jaws drop when they say what he was talking about. The word big is to sissy of a word to describe those large Apes.

"Well even if you have been trying," Ignitus looked at Ragan with a murderous glare, "it won't open. You see there are doors like this one we see all around the Temple and each one has a different magical barrier. Physical force is useless on it." He looks at Ragan and shakes his head. "And why were you trying to open it with brute force?"

"I was waiting for you to come up first of all and next thing I know, my patience ran thin," Ragan looked around as he walked through. "Devastator mode active." As he said that, his whole body armor glowed red and started having small electrical bolts run everywhere. "Let's see. If brute force can't open it, then there is always another way in." He started looking around while pacing everywhere.

"There's a small tunnel that animals use to access the caves. Find it, and use it," Ignitus said as he hit Ragan's back. "And you don't need that anymore."

"Oh yes I do. Other wise the tunnel can't be found."

"Fine."

Cynder quickly grabbed Sparx in midair and started holding him like a candle. She walked in the opposite direction, see if there is a tunnel somewhere like Ignitus said.

"Hey, release me this instant, Cynder," he screamed, trying to free himself but realized that a Dragon is much stronger than a Dragonfly.

Cynder continue to disobey Sparx and held him close to a wall, making him glow to find the entrance. Spyro, with a devastating disapproval on his face, followed her to find the entrance.

"Found it," Ragan cried out as he broke the dried, old, hard roots out of the way. "Let's see here." He throws a small circular device in the hole. "FLASHBANG," he yelled as he took cover. "Cover your eyes," his order went from loud to quite as the explosion of blinding light and loud noise traveled through the area. After a few seconds, he gets up and climbs his way up.

"I've been blinded...," Cynder replied as she scratched her eyes.

"It will wear off soon."

"I hope so," Spyro said as he ran towards the tunnel like a drunken skunk. "I need some help."

"I'll wait for you," Ragan said as he laid on the ground with his back facing down.

"Oh please don't," Sparx sarcastically said. "It's bad enough that you blinded us but you may have also alerted the Apes with your YELLING!"

Ragan shot up and looked at the Dragonfly. "I've had enough of sarcasm to know that you just don't want me to help you. Boy it's a complete enigma of how a scrawny little Dragonfly is friends with some Dragons. Don't make me come down there and show you how what I can do to you."

"Okay, sure... anytime, anywhere." Ragan jumps down and cracks his knuckles. "But... not right now." You could tell that he had fear in his voice due to the fact he was also back up and when he backs up, his voice becomes high pitched.

"Maggot." Ragan quickly climbed up the ledge.

"'Maggot'," Sparx said as his sight came back and flew at Ragan's face. "You called me a 'maggot'? Well guess what: FUCK YOU!"

Ragan rolled his eyes as he got Spyro up. "Would you like to be called worse?" Sparx shoke his head. "Good." He then grabs Cynder's paw and pulls her up. "You both weigh about two hundred fifty pounds each." Spyro looks at him.

"Are you saying we're fat," Spyro replied.

"No. I'm just saying that I don't lift more than that much and for the record. You are the right weight for being healthy wittle dragons," he said little like a child and that made Spyro and Cynder roll their eyes. "Come on, we need to get this over with." He jumps on the wall and starts running on it to the other side.

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other before walking towards Ragan, they made their way through the low-hanging tunnel. Only killing a few Bulb Spiders along the way but nothing to major. After some time, they reached a very small, but yet hard to not to look at, overgrown room.

"This can't be right," Ragan said. "I remember walking through tunnels but this looks like it has been maintained after the raid." He looked around and sure enough it was. Two raised cliffs were on the very far left and just one on the right, a hole was to the highest ground level has been smashed through due to the old roots were everywhere but new root took shape in the wall. He looked around again and saw that the pilliars were still standing with small nests on top of them. "May Golmiatha preserve this area."

"Who," both Dragons asked him.

"A god that I worship. Techinally she is a goddess. Golmiatha is the goddess of nature and preserving the areas where nature touches. I worship her after what happened at the Temple. You see, I asked her to make sure that the Silver River was safe for any weeks and so it happened."

"So you knew our eggs were going to the Silver River," Spyro shockingly asked.

"No... sadly no. I knew after five years I was away from the Temple far away from Dante's Freezer. I didn't know until I returned and then I went to other places. Places that I knew something had to be done with Ember."

"Like what?"

"Anything. Just about anything. Technology, weapons, troops, allies, alliances, treaties. You name it." Ragan then looked at them. "I rather not talk about it. It reminds me too much of my past life." He walks away from them by three steps. "I remembered what happened. Malefor corrupted me. He wanted not only a super solider but he wanted someone that can use magic as well. I was unlucky."

"Okay big guy," Sparx said as he flew next to Spyro. He then whispers. "I think he needs some time alone don't you think?"

Spyro looks at his older adoptive brother and rolls his eyes before climing onto the first platform easily. It was just six inches off the ground. He then confronted a Bulb Spider, so before he could react something zipped through the air.

"GET OVER HERE," Ragan yelled as his chain blades went through the flesh of the spider. He then pulls with all his strength and before the spider hits the ground, Ragan quickly teleported and does an uppercut to make the spider's head explode off in a gooey mess.

"Whoa," Sparx said. "Now that was fast. He got some moves." Sparx then starts clapping like crazy until Cynder picks him up again. "Okay, I'll stop." Cynder then releases him, but something seemed different. He didn't struggle at all.

Cynder then climbed up the pillar but when she got up, another Bulb Spider came out of no where. Before Ragan could react, she quickly sliced the a delicate middle part of a leg with her claws and smacked it to the wall with her tail. It dropped onto the ground and without warning, began to writhe around like a mad man saying he knows what life is about. She turned around to leave but as the spider cried without stopping. She stopped and felt a spark of pity.

She wasn't ruthless, not like what Ragan did to the first one. It's nothing but a spider, she thought to even out the balance in her. She turns around and looks at it before walking over it. As it looked at her with the six shiny, beseeching eyes it just stopped. It was still. It didn't take long before that spark told her to put it out of it misery. So she did with a powerful burst of shadow fire. There was little to nothing left from the spider's remains when she was finished. With a sigh, she looks at Ragan. "Is it this hard all the time."

"Yes," he said. "War... war never changes. Since the dawn of all races, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock, sticks, and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything: From God to justice to simple psychotic rage. That's what it has became to be know. After millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of all races could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of destruction. But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of all races' history. For us to succeeded in destroying the world - but war, war never changes. It is better to see mercy now than ever before. Because in my time in the military of the Human race taught me one thing: it's that war, war never changes.

"The people waged war to gather slaves and wealth. They even built empires from it lust for gold and territory. Even the greatest villian, Hitler, shaped a battered country into an economic superpower. But war never changes. Recently though, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also it's own weapons: Petroleum, Uranium, and super soldiers. For these resources, many races would invade other races, the second race would annex into their own terrority to defend and the Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on this planet. But now with the war with Malefor, the storm of world war has begun. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the aches of the battles, a new civilization would struggle to arise. War, it will never change due to how bloody it is. Mercy is the only way to counter it. Being ruthless makes you as bad as the others.

"War, war never changes. It was inevitable result of the path of races had chosen. Everyone who entered into the conflict against Malefor expected victory. Everyone was optimistic. But as the hostilities escalated, optimism faded and society began to collapse. The end of the world occurred pretty much as we had predicted. Too many people, not enough space or resources to go around. The details are trivial and pointless, the reasons, as always, purely anyone's. The planet was nearly wiped clean of life. A great cleansing, an atomic spark struck by Human hands, quickly raged out of control. Spears of destruction rained from the skies. Continents were swallowed by flames and fell beneath the boiling oceans. All the races were almost extinguished, their spirits becoming part of the background radiation that blanketed the planet. A quiet darkness fell across the planet. But the scars left by the war have not yet healed. And the planet has not forgotten. But in the world outside, the scars left by the war have not and will not be healed yet. The wounds run deep and no they are felt everywhere. Life everywhere is about to change. Malefor will suffer... for what he has done."

"Wow...," Cynder said as she saw Ragan just jumped up to the other side in one jump. "That didn't answer my question."

"It did but it didn't."

Cynder shook her head as she glided to the other side toward Ragan. "Come on, Spyro." Spyro then followed her. "Now what?"

"Continue on," Ragan ordered as he grabbed his chain blades before walking towards a wall.

After some time for a quick walk through the short tunnel, they arrived back outside. Ragan glanced at the sky, splayed with a light pink, sky blue, and sea green. He looked over and there was just a light color that made him relax a little. "I feel like I'm at home."

Cynder looked at him and asked, "Why is that?"

"Seeing the sea green color, it makes me feel relaxed." Cynder looks at him with confusion written all over her face. "I know you haven't saw the sea, but I feel distinctly that I'm happy."

In the middle within the area, surrounded by all sizes of mushrooms on all sides. there was a slight depression within the earth, which was revealed itself that it be a pit on closer inspection. Tough vines just grew over the hole that twisted into the wall. The hole seemed to enter into a room that was behind the locked door that they saw outside. Cynder and Spyro quickly jumped on the vines and smiled. Ragan looked at them with a confused look.

"I think it is a statue," Spyro replied after a few seconds of silence. He then pointed at the statue and smiled. "What do you think?"

Ragan rolled his eyes before jumping up on the vines. He then squinted his eyes as he got close to the hole and looked through. "Decetive Mode activate..." He then looks at the statue and smiles while scanning it. "It's more than that. That there is also a key to the next door." He looks at the vines and starts shaking the vines. "Shit..."

"What," Sparx said as he flew next to them. "Is it that something is wrong." Ragan looks at Sparx and blows him away. "No," Sparx said as he got his balance back. "Listen. Eh, when in doubt, break it right? Go nuts."

Ragan quickly jumps off and lands on the ground. Cynder looks at Spyro and nods. They both jumped in the air and quickly do a flip. As they crashed through the vines, they spread their wings as Ragan glides down with his black cape. They reached down to the ground as Sparx flew down and rested on Spyro's head.

Cynder looked at Ragan and saw that he was unable to stabilize himself. "FUCK," he yelled out as he hit the ground with a loud thud. "Note to self, need to get more training with gliding the cape." He lifts himself up from the ground. he then cleans himself off.

"Think you two might want to teach him how to glide," Sparx laughed.

"Quiet," Ragan said very quickly. His words were full of fear. "Something is -" Before he could finish the sentence, two Bulb Spiders sneaked up behind him and were about to attack. Ragan quickly turns around and grabs the spider's leg before he threw it to the wall.

Spyro looked at the spider and then looked at Ragan. Not only was he enthusiastic by how Ragan was fought but he was also in fear. "Okay, so you fight like you're a madman?" Ragan gives Spyro a murdereuous glare.

"You think I'm a madman," Ragan said as he grabbed the spider's legs and rips them off the torso. "I know what I'm doing. A madman is someone that does insanity." He then throws the spider at the statue before he teleports next to it. As he grabbed the spider's head, he looks at it's shiny eyes. "I don't do the same thing over and expect shit to change. I know it will be changed after I am done."

"You say that but look around you. You did this to the defenseless spiders."

"'Defenseless' is not what I call them when they are ambushing us. Every decision that you ever made ends with death and misery. People die, they have to be stopped. I stop them, they'll just get out of whatever happens and do it again unless they are killed!"

"You really are ruthless," Cynder said as she walked to the statue and started moving. "We can finish this later but right now, we focus on our MAIN," she yelled out so that Ragan could hear her, "objective. Father needs us to get this done. Otherwise, we can't progress through the Temple."

"Fine," Ragan commented before thrown the lifeless body of the spider to the wall. "You get the statues in position, I'll cover you."

As Cynder pushed herself along the statue's path, she was making little progress. Sure the Dragon statue was heavy but from where the pedestal was at, it made no sense of how the Apes were able to move it. The statue was very heavy, but what made Cynder think hard and long was what would work to get it to move. She then saw Spyro pushed the statue in without any problems. With full amazement, she followed his lead. She started to shove the statue forward, nearly toppling over if it wasn't for her tail that quickly wrapped around a vine. As she got closer and closer with the statue, the pedestal started to glow as the statue was taken in by some magical force. It made it easy for Cynder.

Ragan grabbed a spider by the head and quickly electrocuted it with blue electric. As the light came through the air, no more spiders were showing up. He wanted to make sure of it so he quickly threw a mine. "Stay down," he said as he threw the Spider at the recon mine. As he walked up to Spyro and Cynder, he saw that the statues were in place. "Good job." He walked up to the door and bashes it with his fists. "Open it up."

The door opened with quick motion and slammed Ragan into the wall. Ignitus, Nova, Cyrstal, Slithar, and Shine walked in as the light filled the small room.

"Where is Ragan," Ignitus said as the doors quickly closed behind the group. Ragan walked up to them and just stood there. Silent as a ghost. "Besides that. Any trouble?"

"A little insect troubble... nothing we couldn't handle," Spyro quickly said.

Insects...? Really, Spyro through they were insects when they were really arachnids. Ragan resisted to snicker as Spyro looked at. Ragan didn't want to break the revelation of Spyro's thoughts of arachnids were inscets.

"'Little insects'," Sparks muttered, obviously not getting the joke, "my tail section."

Ignitus approached the door on the opposite side of the room. This one was also closed as well... but he could sensed another statue trek.

"The past is prelude, tomorrow a dim promise. Allow us entrance, do not reject us," Ignitus murmured.

"Is he making that up," Sparx wondered aloud.

"It should open for us," Ignitus ignored Sparx. Spyro and Cynder had to admire that. No one has the urge to ignore him. Only Shine was the only one that could resist Sparx. "There is... a disturbance..."

"In the force?"

"It seems my fears have been realized. They've desecrated the interior as well. Guess we'll have to open it the old-fashion way. Make your way through the connecting rooms, restoring every statue you can find."

"Hey, you know what," Sparx talked like an idiot as always, "let's don't and say we didn't. Why don't you do it?" Sparx demanded as he crossed his arms.

"You have no demands," Ragan said as he walked over to the young Dragonfly. "Demands are only given to the high political personnel. Not lower people that annoy us."

Ignitus chuckled and walked over to a ledge that was too high to jump on. "You want my help? Every well. Hop on."

"Alright... the old guy's coming to life," Sparx smiled.

Spyro and Cynder climbed up Ignitus' back and hopped on the ledge before looking behind them to see Ragan wasn't coming. But then they looked over to Ignitus who wasn't fazed.

"Careful, Ember's forces are surely on their way," he said as Ragan climbed on the ledge without any problem.

"Oh, goodie," was only he sarcastic remark Ragan said. He rolled his eyes while crossing his arms.

Ragan jumped up the ledge and landed next to his new friends. They turned and walked forward. The tunnel they entered was not only dark but also long and winding. The only light was given was thanks to Sparx. They did notice that where was a giant web from a spider - not a Bulb Spider, as they weren't even allowed to weave webs without going through more evolution - and looked around warily.

Cynder squinted as something was lighting up the dark tunnel with a soft blue. She suddenly felt as if she had been in a trance. Mesmerized, both of the Dragons walked towards it and saw the blue object. it was a blue crystal, though they weren't sure if it was anything they saw before. All they knew is that it was dazzling and they could feel magic radiating off of it. They had been within the arcane before thanks to their adopted family introducing them to it. They knew it was still around, even seeing Ragan electrocuting a Bulb Spider was proof of it. Ragan came running up to them and quickly saw the glowing crystal. It was not only an embodiment of magic in both solid and real form, but proof that their was something out there that is worth making it better.

Before the Dragons even put a thought out, they both hit the crystal multiple times. As the pieces that were shattered came down on the ground, the crystal was no more - it vanished, or better yet it was destroyed. Ragan watched with a smile as the light filtered from the crystal and sped towards them. They felt an odd, bubbly feeling, followed by a powerful force that surged through their bodies.

"I see you found the crystals," Ragan said as Sparx was flying around in a confused manner. "I don't even know what they are but if it made them to destroy the crystal, it had to be important for a reason."

Sparx then flew over to them and took a deep breath. "Hey, you two, what was that about," he exclaimed, staring at them as they were nothing but complete idiots.

"I don't know," the purple Dragon said. "I just felt like I had to hit it... and when I did... it felt like the power of a thousand suns coursed through my body." The poetic part made Cynder came close to him and smiled.

"I don't know either but it felt more like an old power was making me feel like I had to unlock something inside of me," Cynder said with a smile.

Sparx blinked and stared at them for some time. "Right. Okay. Well, you know what. You should really get more sleep. You know, I'm going to stop bugging you. You really need to get eight hours. I'm sure Ragan agress."

Ragan laughed and shook his head. "Forget it, Sparx. Let's get going."

So on the very way they went, they could hear nothing but their own heartbeats and the sounds of their footsteps. But that ended when they heard clashing of steel hitting a shield. Uh oh was all they could think at the moment.

Both of the Dragons quickly ran down the tunnel, ready to meet their worse foes they have to fight for now. As they entered the room, lit only by a single hole which was in the ceiling. In the middle was a statue that had been knocked out of the pedestal... and way too many Soldiers than they anticipated surrounded it from all of the sides. Ragan quickly came up from out of nowhere and attacked one of the soldiers.

Before they could react, he turned invisible and attacked another soldier from behind. When he attacked, he quickly knocks the enemy up and away from him, which Spyro and quickly jumped up to take the advantage. The purple Dragon then grabs then enemy and does fast steady bicycle kicks until the Ape was killed.

Ragan then came up next to Sparx and smiled as he grab the Dragonfly and throws him at the enemies. As the enemies were unsure of what was going on, the Dragonfly quickly moved around their heads, making their vision limited. Ragan then dashes with full fire and slams into two of the Apes. Spyro and Cynder then rushed in with full fire come from their mouths. Seconds later, they soldiers wer all killed.

"Good work," Ragan said as he ripped both of the Ape's spines out before freezing the bodies. Spyro and Cynder stared wide-eyed as Ragan then destroys the ice statues with their spines.

Spyro and Cynder then looked at the statue and quickly pushed it in the pedestal. As they got it done, a Ape Behemoth came out from the tunnel they were just in. Ragan quickly runs up but before he could strike, the giant Ape knocks him down to the ground. Spyro and Cynder quickly rushed to his aid. The Ape looks at them before he rushes at them. As it ran up towards the Dragons, Ragan comes out on top of the Ape and starts assaulting with a volley of punches. The Ape tries to grab Ragan but Spyro and Cynder quickly trips the Ape, which made it where the Ape died by a stone that pierced through it's heart.

After the death of the Ape, they continued through the tunnels to the final statue. They could tell that some Bulb Spiders were sleeping from the ceiling were now on the ground thanks to them crawling down the walls. They were just easily dispatched as ever.

Ragan looked at the pedestal and shook his head. "Let's see here," he examined the statue due to how much force the statue took during the years. It looked like it was about to break. He grabs his chain blades and slides the statue very slowly to the pedestal.

"Need help," the black Dragoness asked. "It's heavy as we can tell."

"Please... if it was heavy for me, I wouldn't be able to move it at all." He then takes his chain blades and starts striking the statue. "I hope this works."

"STOP," Spyro yelled on the top of his lungs. "We need it intact. We can't have it broken."

"Ah, but you see, you need it broken because look." The Human points at the bottom of the pedestal and instead of a statue that goes there - which was odd - but instead a gem. Not only was it smaller than what the others had to be going to. Only a gem was to go in the pedestal. Ragan then struck it again with a heavy attack that has both chain blades hitting the ground which causes the shockwave to destroy the statue. As the red gem touched ground, Ragan picks it up and places it in the pedestal.

After the whole gem was placed in, they continued until they save another cluster of crystals. But something seemed different. They looked bright red. The Dragons were drawn to the magical power but this time they just placed their paws on it. There wasn't a surge of power, but instead something amazing happened - something that they didn't know it would come true. The wounds were healed, just leaving flawless purple scales on Spyro and flawless black scales on Cynder. Ragan looked at the crystal but something else happened. The magic healed him as well, all his cuts were replaced with no scars but new skin.

Cynder looked at Spyro and Ragan incredulously, then back towards the crystal, now drained paste white. She shook her head and resolved to ask her father about it. He knows many and he probably knows alot. She allowed the through to just drift in the empty space of her mind as she followed Ragan and the others.

Eventually they encountered a door except that the door didn't have any way of opening it. Ragan tapped it and glanced towards the Dragons, who had walked up behind him. He then noticed a special emblem, fire emblem, on it the second Spyro breathed a burst of flames. The door spun around, taking them back to the main room where Ignitus was waiting with the others sleeping.

"That's quite an entrance, young Human and Dragons," Ignitus said, walking through the next open door. "There may be hope for us yet." Ragan jumped down as the others glided. They followed him, but they were close. Spyro and Cynder could feel it.

A blue gem was infront of them, glowing enchantingly. But the Dragons had to control themselves for they wanted to destroy it.

 _Spyro, Cynder_ , the gem whispered in their heads, enticing them. They were about to explode where they stood if it wasn't for Ragan.

"This is new," Ragan said.

"What are these things," Spyro asked. Cynder looked at him as if she was about to ask the same question.

"These are Spirit Gems... a gift from the ancestors," Ignitus replied as he motioned his paw over the gems. "There are multiple of them. Teal, Orange, Silver, White, Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red and Purple."

"What kind of gift?"

"A gift that speaks across generations. A gift that empowers you with the spirit of the past, strengthening you with the wisdom of the ages!"

"Ifeel more powerful already," Cynder laughed.

Spyro and Cynder broke the Spirit Gem, absorbing the energy. It ripple in them, empowering them, and they felt ready to take the world by the horns. Bring Soldiers, leaders, hoards of frogweeds, Behemoths, Growths, Bulb Spiders. They can take them all on with one arm behind their back.

Something had told them that there is no way to know that the future was going to be easy. But they are presented with that option.


End file.
